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
Patrick JosephMeanwhile, 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.
Emma Cotton et al.Examples of environmentalist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The brash business tycoon was also a yachtsman, philanthropist, environmentalist and owner of baseball’s Atlanta Braves in their heyday.
—Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 9 May 2026
The project is particularly acrimonious, drawing out geographical battles between north and south and thorny fights between officials who want to build the tunnel and environmentalists and Delta residents seeking to protect the local ecosystem and their way of life.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
That is a less complicated coalition than a coalition that includes inner-city Muslim voters, traditional liberal environmentalists, students, and people who are sick of the Labour Party and are looking around for someone new to vote for.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
Those are just some of the ways the world is celebrating lifelong environmentalist and broadcaster David Attenborough’s 100th birthday.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 8 May 2026
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Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 9 May 2026
The project is particularly acrimonious, drawing out geographical battles between north and south and thorny fights between officials who want to build the tunnel and environmentalists and Delta residents seeking to protect the local ecosystem and their way of life.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
That is a less complicated coalition than a coalition that includes inner-city Muslim voters, traditional liberal environmentalists, students, and people who are sick of the Labour Party and are looking around for someone new to vote for.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
Those are just some of the ways the world is celebrating lifelong environmentalist and broadcaster David Attenborough’s 100th birthday.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for environmentalist
Cite this Entry
“Environmentalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/environmentalist. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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