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Who warned of the harmful effects of pesticides on the environment in the 1962 book Silent Spring?

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environment

American  

[en-vahy-ruhn-muhnt, -vahy-ern-] / ɛnˈvaɪ rən mənt, -ˈvaɪ ərn- /

noun

environments plural

1. the aggregate of surrounding things, conditions, or influences; surroundings; milieu.

   Synonyms:

   environs, locale

2. Ecology. the air, water, minerals, organisms, and all other external factors surrounding and affecting a given organism at any time.

3. the social and cultural forces that shape the life of a person or a population.

4. Computers. the hardware or software configuration, or the mode of operation, of a computer system.

   In a time-sharing environment, transactions are processed as they occur.

5. an indoor or outdoor setting characterized by the presence of environmental art that is designed specifically to make use of that site.

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environment British  

/ ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt /

noun

1. external conditions or surroundings, esp those in which people live or work

2. ecology the external surroundings in which a plant or animal lives, which tend to influence its development and behaviour

3. the state of being environed; encirclement

4. computing an operating system, program, or integrated suite of programs that provides all the facilities necessary for a particular application

   a word-processing environment

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environment Scientific  

/ ĕn-vī′rən-mənt /

1. All of the biotic and abiotic factors that act on an organism, population, or ecological community and influence its survival and development. Biotic factors include the organisms themselves, their food, and their interactions. Abiotic factors include such items as sunlight, soil, air, water, climate, and pollution. Organisms respond to changes in their environment by evolutionary adaptations in form and behavior.

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Synonym Usage

Environment, milieu, ambiance, setting, surroundings all refer to what makes up the atmosphere or background against which someone or something is seen. Environment may refer either to actual physical surroundings or to social or cultural background factors: an environment of crime and grinding poverty. Milieu, encountered most often in literary writing, refers to intangible aspects of the environment: an exhilarating milieu of artistic ferment and innovation. Ambiance applies to the atmosphere of the surroundings, their mood or tone: an ambiance of ease and elegance. Setting suggests a background that sets something off: a perfect setting for the emerald. Surroundings alludes specifically to the physical aspects of the environment: awoke in strange surroundings; blend in with her surroundings. See ecosystem ( def. ).

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• environmental
  adjective
• environmentally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• environments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of environment

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Middle French environnement; see environ, -ment

Explanation

Think of the environment as everything that is around you. A quiet room with good lighting and no distractions is a good environment for doing homework, or at least that's what your parents and teachers think. Environment generally refers to your surroundings. If something is good for the environment, it is beneficial to the complex system of plant and animal life, water and air on Earth. An environment need not be so large, however. The environment of your living room means the tables, chairs and decor that are in the room. Sometimes it refers to the general attitude of a place. Do you thrive in a competitive environment or prefer an atmosphere of cooperation?

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

environment environments

“In an environment of continued heightened uncertainty, this calibrated adjustment to the policy stance builds on the tightening in April,” the Monetary Authority of Singapore said Monday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

In Primark's latest trading update, it referred to a "challenging consumer environment".

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

“It’s an opportunity for our chefs to share a thoughtful expression of place, often drawing inspiration from Northland’s rich coastal environment and Māori culinary traditions,” says JT Mulry, Culinary Director at Rosewood Kauri Cliffs.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

Instead, the Backrooms provide a collectively imagined and online environment of unease, abandonment and liminality.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

“I think most reporters are far more interested in movie stars and singers talking about the environment in front of fifty thousand kids than they are in some crackpot billionaire talking about making fake rain.”

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Parsons took the phenomenon from low resolution static images into immersive cinematic exploration, helping to establish Backrooms as one of social media’s most recognizable horror environments.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

"It gives them exposure to professional environments and the chance to meet people in careers they might otherwise never encounter," she said.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

ServiceNow’s AI Control Tower provides a platform for businesses to monitor and govern AI agents across different environments.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

More important, no small part of the fun is in discovering each new universe alongside the travelers, and in the transformation of familiar environments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

The overall size of these environments was relatively small, usually just a single world, or a dozen or so small planets.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Related Words

• climate
• habitat
• mise en scène
• setting
• situation
• status
• surroundings