environmentalist

1 of 2

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.

environmentalist

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or supporting environmentalism

Rachel Carson's Silent Spring is widely recognized as the founding document of the environmentalist movement.

—James McWilliams

I was there during the Global Climate Action Summit, a convergence of world leaders, politicians, and environmentalist bigwigs determined to compensate for Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.

—Ash Sanders

In particular, economic shocks … may have implications for the way people think about climate change and the extent to which they are willing to vote for parties that are more environmentalist.

—Charlotte Bez et al.

Examples of environmentalist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The rule also helps protect the water resources that many Western states rely on, environmentalists say. — Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 19 Aug. 2026

At that time, the German Green Party leveraged a power-sharing arrangement to demand subsidies for rooftop solar, says climate writer and environmentalist Bill McKibben. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026

The newspaper also reported that IRGC intelligence arrested environmentalists and dual nationals during Taeb's tenure. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026

The environmentalists said the ranchers brought in invasive plants with their feed, and that cattle fouled the soil and waterways. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1903, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1921, 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