solarpunk

American

[soh-ler-puhngk] / ˈsoʊ lərˌpʌŋk /

noun

an optimistic environmentalist subgenre of speculative fiction, art, and design that envisions future life on Earth transformed by the use of sustainable energy, close co-existence of human beings with nature, and progressive sociopolitical values.

Etymology

Origin of solarpunk

First recorded in 2010–15; solar ¹ ( def. ) + -punk ( def. )

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.

See Examples For:

solarpunk

Let 2026 be a time to find the solarpunk in everything, especially one’s local community, whether that’s urban gardens or citizen regulators filling in where the Environmental Protection Agency fails.

From Salon ● Dec. 31, 2025

I believe the solarpunk movement offers cautious optimism and a prescription for change that could carry us into 2026 and beyond.

From Salon ● Dec. 31, 2025

The solarpunk ethos also advocates knowledge sharing and community-centricity - not hierarchies, profit and excessive wealth for a minority.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2021

Ellie Day, a software engineer and solarpunk enthusiast, says for something to be truly solarpunk it needs to be beyond profit.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2021

"Solarpunk is really the only solution to the existential corner of climate disaster we have backed ourselves into as a species," says Michelle Tulumello, a solarpunk art teacher in New York state.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2021

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023