environmental

American  

[en-vahy-ruhn-men-tl, -vahy-ern-] / ɛnˌvaɪ rənˈmɛn tl, -ˌvaɪ ərn- /

adjective

1. of or relating to the totality of things, conditions, influences, cultural forces, etc., that surround and shape the life of a person or a population.

   Investigators in the study will examine possible associations between aggressive prostate cancer and exposures to environmental stressors such as discrimination, early-life adversity, and segregation.

2. Ecology. of or relating to all the external conditions, such as air, water, minerals, and other organisms, that surround and affect any given organism, often specifically relating to human interaction with these conditions.

   She took 11 lake samples to identify the fish communities present there and the defining environmental factors, like dissolved oxygen, pH, and vegetation.

   Agriculture is now a dominant force behind many environmental threats, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and the degradation of land and fresh water.

3. of or being art that surrounds the viewer or involves the viewer’s participation, often on a grand scale and outdoors.

   Our programs include an exhibition of global art, public lectures on birds, and a collaborative outdoor installation of environmental art.

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Usage

What does environmental mean? Environmental means of or relating to all the things that surround us and influence our lives, as in For some people, environmental stressors included how crowded a room is and how loud the noise is. In ecology, environmental also means of or relating to all external conditions that surround an organism, such as air, water, and minerals. When someone talks about climate change and its environmental impact, they mean that as the average temperature of the Earth changes, it affects the environment, such as through soil erosion, flooding, and more. Less often, environmental describes something that surrounds the viewer or encourages their participation, as with some outdoor art. Example: The environmental damage this project will cause might be unreasonable.

Other Word Forms

• environmentally adverb
• interenvironmental adjective
• nonenvironmental adjective
• nonenvironmentally adverb
• preenvironmental adjective
• proenvironmental adjective

Etymology

Origin of environmental

environment ( def. ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

Environmental is the adjective form of environment, referring to a surrounding area. The word is usually used to refer to our ecology and the forces that act to change it. The noun environment, meaning the "state of being environed," first appeared around 1600. The word as referring to our natural surroundings was first recorded in 1827, and the popular idea of environmental concern in an ecological sense first appeared in 1956. In recent decades, the movement toward environmental awareness has grown rapidly. In a 1997 interview, environmentalist Barry Commoner noted that "Environmental concern is now firmly embedded in public life."

Example Sentences

California doesn’t monitor how much is coming from these waters, but now several environmental groups are urging air regulators to find out, and some experts agree it’s important.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

They said the effects had been the subject of an environmental impact assessment as part of the planning application, which "concluded there would be no adverse effect on the integrity of the Lough".

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

The wetlands have been set up at the Southcoast Wake Park in Portsmouth as part of a long-term research programme, using a before-and-after monitoring approach to assess their environmental impact.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

This allowed them to better separate genetic influences from environmental ones.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

They may make history inexplicable in terms of environmental forces, or indeed of any generalizable causes.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• coincidental
• inconclusive
• indirect