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

A higher interest-rate environment typically weighs on nonyielding assets like gold.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

It locks in carbon and releases oxygen back in to the environment.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

These cells perform many essential functions, including supporting neurons, maintaining the brain's environment, and responding to damage.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

They were one like one copy about freedom, one about the environment.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

Steam that passes through the torus is scrubbed of most of its radioactive isotopes before it leaves the building, a vast improvement over allowing the steam to enter the environment without any intervention.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

The director’s method was to work out the specifics in the film’s environments, namely the beaches of Morocco’s Essaouira and in the mountain village of Aït Benhaddou, where Troy was constructed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Canada's 270 million hectares of boreal forest -- that is forest in high-latitude environments -- comprises 28 percent of the world's boreal zone.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

Jobs at shopping centres were ruled out because of the fumes from restaurants, and even in smaller environments her colleagues' eating habits could affect her.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Air pollution, wildfire smoke, industrial disasters like the East Palestine, Ohio train wreck and extended pollen seasons are all reasons why people are increasingly concerned with making their indoor environments actually breathable.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

A few primitive forms, such as the botulism and tetanus bacilli, manage to survive even today only in oxygen-free environments.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

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