renewable
Americanadjective
noun
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Relating to a natural resource, such as solar energy, water, or wood, that is never used up or that can be replaced by new growth. Resources that are dependent on regrowth can sometimes be depleted beyond the point of renewability, as when the deforestation of land leads to desertification or when a commercially valuable species is harvested to extinction. Pollution can also make a renewable resource such as water unusable in a particular location.
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Compare nonrenewable
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of renewable
Explanation
Anything renewable can be replaced or has an endless supply. Renewable sources of energy don't run out. Since re means "again," things that are renewable are always fresh and new: the supply can't be used up. This word often applies to energy. Fossil fuels like oil are not renewable resources; we will run out of oil someday. Energy sources like solar and wind power are renewable, because there's always going to be sunlight and wind. Anything renewable is going to last.
Vocabulary lists containing renewable
Power Suffix: -able
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Power Prefix: re-
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Natural Resources and the Environment - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Until now, she has focused on improving its operational performance while promising to invest wisely after an expensive pivot into renewable energy failed to deliver the promised returns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Officials have touted it as part of the airport’s commitment to renewable energy and in keeping with the city’s climate goals, and multiple sustainability awards for the airport mention it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Sri Lanka is determined to accelerate its transition to renewable energy spurred by soaring oil prices, but faces major constraints, its energy minister told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
The government aims to generate 70 percent of the country's electricity from renewable sources by 2030, including wind power.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
The industrial organic food chain is anything but a closed, renewable loop.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
