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
- ecologically adverb
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.
Citing a "risk of impact on nearby nature areas", the port said it was "doing everything possible to minimise both operational and ecological damage".
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
Balancing ecological and economic interests is not just a “nice idea” – it’s shown to be good business.
From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026
Each species carved out its own ecological role despite living side by side.
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026
O'Donovan said in February he was concerned the polymer seal would not stop deep‑seated fires and could delay ecological surveys needed for his planning application and site remediation.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
Similar ecological disasters occurred on almost every one of the thousands of islands that pepper the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
