noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:EH0 N V AY1 R AH0 N M EH2 N T AH0 L IH2 Z AH0 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:EH0 N V AY1 R AH0 N M EH2 N AH0 L IH2 Z AH0 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A theory that views environment, rather than heredity or culture, as the important factor in the development of an individual or group.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A political and social ideology that seeks to prevent the environment from degradation by human activity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: government, politics
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
the activity of protecting the environment from pollution or destruction
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: preservation, saving
4
noun
Meaning 4
the philosophical doctrine that environment is more important than heredity in determining intellectual growth
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: hereditarianism
Broader terms: philosophical doctrine, philosophical theory
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Middle French environnementbor. English environment English -al English environmental Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English environmentalism From environmental + -ism.
Across languages
Translations
21 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Chinese Mandarin:
環境保護主義 /环境保护主义
(huánjìng bǎohù zhǔyì)
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Finnish:
environmentalismi
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
French:
écologisme
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
French:
environnementalisme
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Galician:
ecoloxismo
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Georgian:
ინვაირონმენტალიზმი
(invaironmenṭalizmi)
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Georgian:
ეკოლოგიზმი
(eḳologizmi)
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
German:
Ökologismus
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Hungarian:
környezetvédelem
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Italian:
ambientalismo
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Italian:
ecologismo
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Japanese:
環境主義
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Macedonian:
природозаштита
(prirodozaštita)
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Portuguese:
ambientalismo
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Portuguese:
ecologismo
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Romanian:
ecologism
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Russian:
энвайронментали́зм
(envajronmentalízm)
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Russian:
экологи́зм
(ekologízm)
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Spanish:
ecologismo
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Spanish:
ambientalismo
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment
Turkish:
çevrecilik
— ideology seeking to prevent the degradation of environment