preindustrial
adjective
pre·in·dus·tri·al
ˌprē-in-ˈdə-strē-əl 
variants
or pre-industrial
1
: not having developed or adopted industry : not industrialized
preindustrial agrarian societies
preindustrial civilization
2
: occurring, existing, or originating before the development or adoption of industry
in preindustrial times
preindustrial levels of carbon dioxide
preindustrial artifacts
still made using preindustrial methods
also
: resembling that of preindustrial times
a return to a preindustrial way of life
Examples of preindustrial in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As humans continue to burn fossil fuels and pump increasing amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the goal of holding global warming to a relatively safe level, 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with preindustrial times, is slipping away.
—
Christopher Flavelle Ian C. Bates, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
That number carries special significance, as nations agreed under the 2015 Paris Agreement to try to keep the difference between average temperatures today and in preindustrial times to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or at least below 2 degrees Celsius.
—Cara Buckley, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024
This month marked a full year in which the world was an average 1.52 degrees Celsius (2.74 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than in the preindustrial era.
—Katharine Houreld, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024
The preindustrial period refers to an era before humans began to meaningfully alter the planet’s climate through fossil fuel and other heat-trapping emissions.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2024
Environment The average global temperature has already risen at least 1.2 degrees Celsius since preindustrial times.
—Marshall Ingwerson, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Dec. 2023
The planet has already warmed by about 1.2 degrees C, or 2.2 degrees F, since the preindustrial era.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 10 Oct. 2023
Berkeley Earth, a nonprofit climate research group, released its own 2023 report showing that global average temperatures last year were 1.54 degrees C above preindustrial levels.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 12 Jan. 2024
The sobering part: The pace of progress needs to accelerate dramatically, scientists say, to halt global warming at the Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial average temperatures.
—Jacob Turcotte, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Dec. 2023
Christopher Flavelle Ian C. Bates, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
That number carries special significance, as nations agreed under the 2015 Paris Agreement to try to keep the difference between average temperatures today and in preindustrial times to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or at least below 2 degrees Celsius.
—Cara Buckley, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024
This month marked a full year in which the world was an average 1.52 degrees Celsius (2.74 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than in the preindustrial era.
—Katharine Houreld, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024
The preindustrial period refers to an era before humans began to meaningfully alter the planet’s climate through fossil fuel and other heat-trapping emissions.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2024
Environment The average global temperature has already risen at least 1.2 degrees Celsius since preindustrial times.
—Marshall Ingwerson, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Dec. 2023
The planet has already warmed by about 1.2 degrees C, or 2.2 degrees F, since the preindustrial era.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 10 Oct. 2023
Berkeley Earth, a nonprofit climate research group, released its own 2023 report showing that global average temperatures last year were 1.54 degrees C above preindustrial levels.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 12 Jan. 2024
The sobering part: The pace of progress needs to accelerate dramatically, scientists say, to halt global warming at the Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial average temperatures.
—Jacob Turcotte, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'preindustrial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near preindustrial
Cite this Entry
“Preindustrial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preindustrial. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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