anthropogenic

American  

[an-thruh-puh-jen-ik] / ˌæn θrə pəˈdʒɛn ɪk /

adjective

1. caused or produced by humans.

   anthropogenic air pollution.

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anthropogenic British  

/ ˌænθrəpəʊˈdʒɛnɪk /

adjective

1. relating to anthropogenesis

2. created by people or caused by human activity

   anthropogenic pollution

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anthropogenic Scientific  

/ ăn′thrə-pə-jĕn′ĭk /

1. Caused or influenced by humans. Anthropogenic carbon dioxide is that portion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that is produced directly by human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, rather than by such processes as respiration and decay.

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Etymology

Origin of anthropogenic

First recorded in 1885–90; anthropo- + -genic

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Explanation

Anthropogenic is an adjective that describes changes in nature made by people. If your town has rerouted water from the river for drinking water, that is an anthropogenic activity. Whenever you see the word root anthro, you can bet there’s a person involved, and anthropogenic is a particularly good example. From the Greek anthropogenes, meaning "born of man,” anthropogenic can refer to any changes in nature that are caused by people — like the existence of roads or cities where once there were forests. Most often, you will hear anthropogenic as an adjective describing pollution — such as the anthropogenic causes of the hole in the ozone layer.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anthropogenic

"It can happen anywhere in the world but the Himalayas are experiencing adverse impacts due to climate change and anthropogenic activity," he said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

It is anthropogenic, exhibiting good and occasionally bad human traits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

The researchers also examined how much of the snowfall increase could be attributed to anthropogenic forcing.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026

Definitively linking longer fire seasons to anthropogenic climate change, as this paper does, is “a study I’ve been hoping someone would do for a long time,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2025

“Less sea ice in the future will likely also mean an expanding anthropogenic footprint in the Arctic,” Johnson said.

From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2025

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