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Synonyms

conservationist

American  
[kon-ser-vey-shuh-nist] / ˌkɒn sərˈveɪ ʃə nɪst /

noun

  1. a person who advocates or promotes conservation, especially of natural resources.

conservationist British  
/ ˌkɒnsəˈveɪʃənɪst /

noun

  1. a person who advocates or strongly promotes preservation and careful management of natural resources and of the environment

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • anticonservationist noun
  • proconservationist adjective

Etymology

Origin of conservationist

First recorded in 1865–70; conservation + -ist

Compare meaning

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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.

If the planting project succeeds, conservationists hope it could help bring the swallowtail – the UK's largest native butterfly – back to the area for the first time in more than a century.

From BBC

But after the death of one of the beavers last summer, conservationists continue to search for signs of his mate.

From BBC

A pine marten has been caught on camera in Cornwall in what conservationists hope could be the start of a comeback in the county.

From BBC

Poaching is still a challenge in Uganda, where authorities have arrested and prosecuted individuals found with ivory, pangolins and other endangered species, conservationists report.

From BBC

A group of young marine conservationists stood nervously in line waiting to greet the royal.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions 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.