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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.

Allan later became a campaigner on environmental issues and, earlier this year, urged the Scottish government to back an "ecocide" bill designed to penalise companies that caused severe or widespread damage to the natural environment.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

On land, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that Israeli strikes on Tehran fuel depots constituted "ecocide", contaminating soil and groundwater and causing long-term risks to people's health.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

In 1994 the Hollywood film “Rapa-Nui” rendered the mythical apocalypse into a technicolor epic of ecocide and cannibalism in which the Garden of Eden was destroyed.

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

So ecocide is just a kind of a lawyer's term for killing off the cradle of life that supports us.

From Salon • Nov. 30, 2024

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