sustainable
Americanadjective
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capable of being supported or upheld, as by having its weight borne from below.
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pertaining to a system that maintains its own viability by using techniques that allow for continual reuse.
sustainable agriculture. Aquaculture is a sustainable alternative to overfishing.
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able to be maintained or kept going, as an action or process.
a sustainable negotiation between the two countries.
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able to be confirmed or upheld.
a sustainable decision.
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able to be supported as with the basic necessities or sufficient funds.
a sustainable life.
adjective
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capable of being sustained
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(of economic development, energy sources, etc) capable of being maintained at a steady level without exhausting natural resources or causing severe ecological damage
sustainable development
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(of economic growth) non-inflationary
Other Word Forms
- nonsustainability noun
- nonsustainable adjective
- sustainability noun
- unsustainable adjective
Etymology
Origin of sustainable
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.
"But absorbing extra costs is not a sustainable practice for companies. If things get worse, customers are likely to face the heat," he says.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
Both CalPERS and CalSTRS unveiled sustainable investments strategies to increase holdings in low-carbon assets and other climate solutions several years ago, but continue to invest in multinational oil giants such as ExxonMobil and Chevron.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026
We also excluded stocks with dividend payout ratio above 90%, to ensure payouts are sustainable.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
At the height of the sustainable investing boom earlier this decade, Exxon pledged to spend $30 billion by 2030 to cut its own emissions and build carbon-capture and other climate-technology projects.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
Several months after Barack’s announcement in Springfield and with the support of my colleagues, I’d decided to scale back to part-time hours, knowing it was the only sustainable way to keep going.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
