ecological
Britishadjective
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of or relating to ecology
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(of a practice, policy, product, etc) tending to benefit or cause minimal damage to the environment
Other Word Forms
Explanation
Anything ecological relates to the science of ecology, which is the study of how living things and the environment do their thing. If you're interested in issues like preserving rain forests, saving endangered species, and keeping drinking water safe, you're interested in ecological issues. Ecological things have to do with how plants and animals relate to each other, in good and bad ways, in specific environments — from the impact of floods on river insects to how smog harms humans. Just about anything people do has an ecological impact — for better or worse.
Vocabulary lists containing ecological
The Omnivore's Dilemma
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The Modern Period, c. 1750 to c. 1914
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5.3: The First Industrial Revolution (Sources 1–7)
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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.
"We need more predictive frameworks that link behavioral responses to ecological and evolutionary context. That includes incorporating species traits, past exposure to humans, predator communities, and landscape structure," says D'Souza.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
"No approvals should move forward without a full, independent environmental and social impact assessment, genuine public participation and transparent scrutiny of the long-term economic, health and ecological risks," Odayar said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Ashirwad also noted that the spiders were found alongside other small creatures with similar color patterns, suggesting there may be broader ecological or evolutionary factors at work.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
"So, if this event keeps coming… we might start seeing some serious impacts on ecological systems."
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
In an ecological version of therapeutic nihilism, they want to leave the river basin to its own devices.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
