ecocide

American

[ek-uh-sahyd, ee-kuh-] / ˈɛk əˌsaɪd, ˈi kə- /

noun

the destruction of large areas of the natural environment by such activity as nuclear warfare, overexploitation of resources, or dumping of harmful chemicals.

ecocide British

/ ˈiːkəˌsaɪd, ˈɛkə- /

noun

total destruction of an area of the natural environment, esp by human agency

"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

ecocidal

adjective

Etymology

Origin of ecocide

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70; eco- + -cide

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.

See Examples For:

ecocide

Araghchi described Israeli strikes on Tehran fuel depots as "ecocide" owing to the long-term risks to residents' health.

From Barron's ● Mar. 16, 2026

Mr. Pitts dismisses this ecocide narrative and places the blame for environmental degradation where it belongs: with colonial intruders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

Taken together, the findings show that Rapa Nui's history is far more complex than the ecocide narrative suggests.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 10, 2026

Julian Cribb, a British-Australian author who specializes in covering the intersections between science and politics, has published nine books on subjects related to ecocide — the practice in which humans actively destroy their environment.

From Salon ● Nov. 30, 2024

The country's prosecutor general's office said it was investigating a possible crime of "ecocide."

From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2023

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