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

Example Sentences

The sustainability of BMW’s China performance probably continues to be the most controversially discussed topic in meetings, the bank adds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

South Ayrshire Council said the decision had not been taken lightly and reflected "significant operational, environmental and financial pressures affecting the long term sustainability of the diving pool".

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

That will eventually make investors feel better about the sustainability of cloud capex heading into 2030, and that could help those stocks.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

The closing comes at a sensitive time for OpenAI, which faces increasing questions about the sustainability of its business model, with costs skyrocketing far faster than revenue despite having about one billion daily users worldwide.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 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