environmental

[en-vahy-ruhn-muhn-tl, -vahy-ern-]

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.

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of environmental¹

environment ( def. ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Supporters said it will help address the state’s housing crisis, while many environmental groups were outraged by the move.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The UK's largest undeveloped oil field has revealed the full scale of its environmental impact, should it gain approval by the government.

Read more on BBC

The scheme, which was first held in 2024, was developed to reduce the environmental impact of single use and help families with the cost of living, East Riding of Yorkshire Council said.

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A TV advert by Red Tractor, the UK's biggest certifier of farm products on supermarket shelves, has been banned for exaggerating the scheme's environmental benefits and misleading the public.

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The Public Order Act was in part passed to counter environmental groups such as Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion, which deployed tactics aimed at causing disruption such as gluing themselves to roads.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• coincidental 
• inconclusive 
• indirect 

When To Use

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.