physical environment

American  

[fiz-i-kuhl-en-vahy-ruhn-muhnt] / ˈfɪz ɪ kəl ɛnˈvaɪ rən mənt /

noun

physical environments plural

1. the parts of the environment that are tangible and primarily natural, though they may be influenced by human action (climate, geographical features, weather systems, etc.).

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• physical environments
  plural

Example Sentences

The problem is in the qubits, whose quantum states are particularly sensitive to changes in the physical environment, meaning anything from electromagnetic fields to heat.

From Barron's • Dec. 10, 2025

The possibility to communicate reciprocally with the physical environment or more-than-human reality may have been an essential reason why these cliffs were visited and painted, and why offerings were left to them.

From Science Daily • Nov. 25, 2024

Plants are very important for improving the physical environment: cleaning the air, limiting rising temperatures and providing protection against climate change.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2024

Regardless, it's clear that something in the social or physical environment is reshaping the development of today's girls — and it seems to have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

From Salon • Aug. 4, 2023

Could the physical environment change what was happening inside the head?

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel