environmentalist

[en-vahy-ruhn-men-tl-ist, -vahy-ern-]

noun

1. an expert on environmental problems.

2. any person who advocates or works to protect the air, water, animals, plants, and other natural resources from pollution or its effects.

3. a person who believes that differences between individuals or groups, especially in moral and intellectual attributes, are predominantly determined by environmental factors, as surroundings, upbringing, or experience (hereditarian ).

environmentalist

/ ɪnˌvaɪrənˈmɛntəlɪst /

noun

1. an adherent of environmentalism

2. a person who is concerned with the maintenance of ecological balance and the conservation of the environment

3. a person concerned with issues that affect the environment, such as pollution

Other Word Forms

• environmentalism noun
• antienvironmentalist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of environmentalist¹

First recorded in 1915–20; environmental ( def. ) + -ist

Example Sentences

It’s a major win for environmentalists and federal wildlife officials who want to protect northern spotted owls that have been crowded out by their larger, more aggressive cousins.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

For years, environmentalists have urged the city to take less water from the creeks that feed it.

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Now, timber interests are aligning with environmentalists in favor of culling the owls.

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Rapid development in the coastal region of Comporta has alarmed locals and environmentalists, who fear a repeat of the unchecked growth seen in Portugal's southernmost Algarve province, long a package holiday destination.

Read more on Barron's

Overhauls and changes to the environmental law have for years faced fierce opposition from progressive lawmakers, environmentalists and labor unions — key factions in California’s Democratic majority.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ecologist