environment

American  

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

noun

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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Related Words

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

• environmental adjective
• environmentally adverb

Etymology

Origin of environment

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

Example Sentences

"Even the early British picturesque views of the sea and boats include human figures, reminding us that the environment was always shaped by human activity," says Prakash.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Analysts speculate that we’re in a “crypto winter” of depressed prices—despite the fact that geopolitical chaos is exactly the environment in which Bitcoin is designed to thrive as “digital gold.”

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

“This has created an environment where even workers with high levels of job security by traditional standards are starting to feel anxious about the possibility of job loss.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

This includes cuts to more than $73 billion in domestic government programs across housing, education, health care and the environment.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

As a child grows, he or she becomes acculturated to all of the sounds in their environment.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Related Words

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