sustainability
Americannoun
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the ability to be sustained, supported, upheld, or confirmed.
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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.
Etymology
Origin of sustainability
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.
Vocabulary lists containing sustainability
Human Geography - Middle School
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Human Geography - High School
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Ecology - Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems - 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.
“Our success in the market means we can maintain high investment levels in growth and sustainability for both the short and long term,” Christiansen said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
The canal operator said that "lower than forecast rainfall in the canal's watershed" called for measures to bolster the "long-term sustainability" of the waterway.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
From their similar visions a decade ago, Transit and Unnamed were born separately, and have taken very different paths to sustainability.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Chip stocks are leading the S&P 500 higher on Monday, as a flurry of reports have offered investors more confidence in the sustainability of the artificial-intelligence boom.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
Understanding the interconnectedness between humans and natural ecosystems is a key element in the quest for panda sustainability.
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
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.
