renewable

[ri-noo, -nyoo]

adjective

1. able to be renewed.

   a library book that is not renewable.

noun

1. something that is renewable.

renewable

1. Relating to a natural resource, such as solar energy, water, or wood, that is never used up or that can be replaced by new growth. Resources that are dependent on regrowth can sometimes be depleted beyond the point of renewability, as when the deforestation of land leads to desertification or when a commercially valuable species is harvested to extinction. Pollution can also make a renewable resource such as water unusable in a particular location.

2. Compare nonrenewable

Other Word Forms

• renewability noun
• nonrenewable adjective
• unrenewable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of renewable¹

First recorded in 1720–30; renew + -able

Example Sentences

Despite heavy investment in the renewable sector, Australia remains heavily dependent on its fossil fuel economy for growth.

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Such a model could greatly reduce the environmental impact of fluorine-based chemicals that play essential roles in medicine, electronics, and renewable energy systems.

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Australia has poured billions of dollars into solar power, wind turbines and green manufacturing and pledged to become a renewable energy superpower.

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With abundant onshore and offshore wind power, Britain is among Europe's leaders in renewable energy but still relies on natural gas for more than a third of its energy mix.

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However, while the UK is one of Europe's biggest producers of renewable energy, it remains dependent on costly gas, which represents more than a third of its energy mix.

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Related Words

• inexhaustible 
• sustainable