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anthropause

American

[an-throh-pawz] / ˈæn θroʊˌpɔz /

noun

a significant temporary reduction in human activity worldwide, as during a pandemic, that noticeably affects environmental phenomena such as levels of air pollution, the movements of wildlife, and even seismic noise.

The anthropause occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic may inspire people and governments to mobilize for meaningful ecological reform.

Etymology

Origin of anthropause

First recorded in 2020 in the online scientific journal Nature Ecology and Evolution

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.

The anthropause showed that wild animals can bounce back quickly given space and the right conditions to thrive.

From New York Times • Oct. 29, 2021

The change was so swift, so striking that scientists needed a new name for it: the anthropause.

From New York Times • Feb. 26, 2021

But the anthropause did more than reconfigure the animal kingdom.

From New York Times • Feb. 26, 2021

A UK-led team has launched an initiative to study the impact of the "anthropause" - the global, temporary slowdown in human activity due to lockdown - on wildlife.

From BBC • Jun. 23, 2020

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023