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Who warned of the harmful effects of pesticides on the environment in the 1962 book Silent Spring?

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environment

American  

[en-vahy-ruhn-muhnt, -vahy-ern-] / ɛnˈvaɪ rən mənt, -ˈvaɪ ərn- /

noun

• environments
  plural

1. 

   the aggregate of surrounding things, conditions, or influences; surroundings; milieu.

   Synonyms:

   environs, locale

2. Ecology. the air, water, minerals, organisms, and all other external factors surrounding and affecting a given organism at any time.

3. the social and cultural forces that shape the life of a person or a population.

4. Computers. the hardware or software configuration, or the mode of operation, of a computer system.

   In a time-sharing environment, transactions are processed as they occur.

5. an indoor or outdoor setting characterized by the presence of environmental art that is designed specifically to make use of that site.

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environment British  

/ ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt /

noun

1. external conditions or surroundings, esp those in which people live or work

2. ecology the external surroundings in which a plant or animal lives, which tend to influence its development and behaviour

3. the state of being environed; encirclement

4. computing an operating system, program, or integrated suite of programs that provides all the facilities necessary for a particular application

   a word-processing environment

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environment Scientific  

/ ĕn-vī′rən-mənt /

1. All of the biotic and abiotic factors that act on an organism, population, or ecological community and influence its survival and development. Biotic factors include the organisms themselves, their food, and their interactions. Abiotic factors include such items as sunlight, soil, air, water, climate, and pollution. Organisms respond to changes in their environment by evolutionary adaptations in form and behavior.

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Synonym Usage

Environment, milieu, ambiance, setting, surroundings all refer to what makes up the atmosphere or background against which someone or something is seen. Environment may refer either to actual physical surroundings or to social or cultural background factors: an environment of crime and grinding poverty. Milieu, encountered most often in literary writing, refers to intangible aspects of the environment: an exhilarating milieu of artistic ferment and innovation. Ambiance applies to the atmosphere of the surroundings, their mood or tone: an ambiance of ease and elegance. Setting suggests a background that sets something off: a perfect setting for the emerald. Surroundings alludes specifically to the physical aspects of the environment: awoke in strange surroundings; blend in with her surroundings. See ecosystem ( def. ).

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• environmental
  adjective
• environmentally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• environments
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of environment

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Middle French environnement; see environ, -ment

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Explanation

Think of the environment as everything that is around you. A quiet room with good lighting and no distractions is a good environment for doing homework, or at least that's what your parents and teachers think. Environment generally refers to your surroundings. If something is good for the environment, it is beneficial to the complex system of plant and animal life, water and air on Earth. An environment need not be so large, however. The environment of your living room means the tables, chairs and decor that are in the room. Sometimes it refers to the general attitude of a place. Do you thrive in a competitive environment or prefer an atmosphere of cooperation?

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

environment environments

“The demand environment continues to be very robust, supporting our 2027 revenue outlook, with customer demand forecasts meaningfully higher for 2028,” Chair and CEO Rob Mionis said in a statement.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

“In addition to an increasingly challenging market environment in China, Mercedes-Benz Group MBG -3.98%decrease; red down pointing triangle expects higher costs in the fourth quarter, including higher material costs,” it said in a statement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

The Environment Agency says waste criminals "scar our environment and communities".

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

The trial is opening with Carney facing increasing criticism from Canadians concerned about the environment.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

She explains it a little bit more, saying how she could learn about chemistry and fungus and how plants interact with their environment on the cellular level.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Many operate on tight margins, with limited access to finance, high borrowing costs and unpredictable tax environments.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

For glioblastoma, the results raise the possibility that highly viscous environments may favor cancer cells that are better adapted to invasion.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

In a recent study by the nonprofit, researchers prompted AI models to describe their surroundings in two randomly labeled environments.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026

The movie is disturbing precisely because it so accurately recreates the environments of the likes of “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” or “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” just with a lot more menace.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

After that brief look at Polynesia’s varying environments, let’s now see how that variation influenced Polynesian societies.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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Related Words

• climate
• habitat
• mise en scène
• setting
• situation
• status
• surroundings

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