tree hugger

noun

|Updated on: 2 May 2018

Definition of tree hugger

sometimes disparaging : environmentalist 2; especially : an advocate for the preservation of woodlands

See tree hugger defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of tree hugger from the Web

Not too long ago natural beauty was considered squarely in the domain of tree huggers and earth mamas.

— lindsey unterberger, Glamour, "The Best Natural Beauty Products to Shop From Dermstore's Earth Day Sale," 21 Apr. 2018
To get there, the tree huggers who work outside the government need to stop practicing the low priority on diversity that Zinke preaches.

— glenn nelson, Outside Online, "Op-Ed: Of Course Zinke Doesn't Care About Diversity," 3 Apr. 2018
Are there tree huggers at the agency who didn’t vote for Trump?

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "Scott Pruitt’s Dirty Politics," 3 Apr. 2017
Mann asks whether the tree hugger or the techno-fixer provides a better blueprint for the future of life on Earth.

— mary ellen hannibal, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘The Wizard and the Prophet,’ by Charles C. Mann," 12 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tree hugger.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

TREE HUGGER Defined for English Language Learners

tree hugger

noun

Definition of tree hugger for English Language Learners

: someone who is regarded as foolish or annoying because of being too concerned about protecting trees, animals, and other parts of the natural world from pollution and other threats