sustainability

American  

[suh-stey-nuh-bil-i-tee] / səˌsteɪ nəˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

1. the ability to be sustained, supported, upheld, or confirmed.

2. Environmental Science. the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance.

   The committee is developing sustainability standards for products that use energy.

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Etymology

Origin of sustainability

sustain + -ability

Explanation

"Sustain" means to last over time, so sustainability is the ability of something to last. As a civilization, we are concerned about the sustainability of our planet. Sustainability became a big idea after people began to realize that we were using up our natural resources, so you’re most likely to come across the word when you’re reading about recycling and energy use. If you hear someone talking about sustainability in the context of energy, they’re probably talking about alternatives to oil or coal — both of which will run out in the future. A sustainable source of energy is something that's always there — like water or wind.

Example Sentences

Through a partnership with sustainability brand ChoViva—owned by Germany’s Planet A Foods—it created a product formulated from fermented and roasted sunflower seeds and oats.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

“We think the market is significantly undervaluing earnings power and sustainability of this cycle,” Newman wrote.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

The ceremony honored achievements in fashion across several categories including ready-to-wear, jewelry, accessories, graduate design and sustainability.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

"Our testing and trialling programmes for the production and introduction of competition and social-use synthetic shuttlecocks in collaboration with the manufacturers remains in place and is firmly part of our sustainability strategies for the future."

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

I hardly feel equipped to enter eighth grade, much less become a planetary leader in sustainability.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer