renewable
Americanadjective
noun
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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.
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Compare nonrenewable
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of renewable
Explanation
Anything renewable can be replaced or has an endless supply. Renewable sources of energy don't run out. Since re means "again," things that are renewable are always fresh and new: the supply can't be used up. This word often applies to energy. Fossil fuels like oil are not renewable resources; we will run out of oil someday. Energy sources like solar and wind power are renewable, because there's always going to be sunlight and wind. Anything renewable is going to last.
Vocabulary lists containing renewable
Power Suffix: -able
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Power Prefix: re-
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Natural Resources and the Environment - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Tax breaks will be created for investment in renewable energy, such as solar panels, which have become ubiquitous during the energy crisis.
From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026
Perez, 79, who has been in office since 2009, beat challenger and renewable energy magnate Enrique Riquelme in the election by picking up 65% of the votes.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
Because this process consumes significant amounts of energy, DAC facilities are generally most practical in locations with abundant renewable energy resources.
From Science Daily • Jun. 11, 2026
China’s electricity largely comes from coal and renewable energy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
“It was sponsored by a group of renewable energy companies, including the Fūjin Corporation, which makes turbines for wind energy.”
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
