environmentalist

noun

en·​vi·​ron·​men·​tal·​ist in-ˌvī-rə(n)-ˈmen-tə-ləst 

-ˌvī(-ə)r(n)-

plural environmentalists

: an advocate of environmentalism : a person who is focused on the preservation, restoration, and improvement of the natural environment

While dams have been touted in the name of water conservation and clean, renewable energy, environmentalists have long challenged the claim that dams are "green" technology. The deleterious ecological impacts of dams, they insist, have been profound.

—Patrick Joseph

Meanwhile, environmentalists have responded that climate change and habitat loss due to development should require builders to think even more carefully about their projects.

—Emma Cotton et al.

Examples of environmentalist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Democrats and environmentalists condemned the attempt to strip protections from the fish species, saying it was declared endangered based on science and years of study. —Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025

The plan to revamp the northeastern corner of Mission Bay, approved by the City Council a year ago, came after seven years of negotiation and compromise between environmentalists and advocates for camping and other recreation uses. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Apr. 2025

The radical environmentalist had a background in labor organizing and wanted to end the misogyny of the movement and the logging industry alike. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 22 Apr. 2025

In addition to being an environmentalist, Becker is also an investor in AI technology. —Jamie Court, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for environmentalist

• experimentalist
• fundamentalist
• instrumentalist
• orientalist
• transcendentalist
• gentlest

Kids Definition

environmentalist

noun

en·​vi·​ron·​men·​tal·​ist -ˌvī-rən-ˈment-ᵊl-əst 

-ˌvī(-ə)rn-

: a person concerned about environmental quality and especially with controlling pollution

Medical Definition

environmentalist

noun

en·​vi·​ron·​men·​tal·​ist -ᵊl-əst 

1

: an advocate of environmentalism

2

: one concerned about environmental quality especially of the human environment with respect to the control of pollution