Thoreau

American  

[thuh-roh, thawr-oh, thohr-oh] / θəˈroʊ, ˈθɔr oʊ, ˈθoʊr oʊ /

noun

1. Henry David, 1817–62, U.S. naturalist and author.

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Thoreau British  

/ ˈθɔːrəʊ, θɔːˈrəʊ /

noun

1. Henry David. 1817–62, US writer, noted esp for Walden, or Life in the Woods (1854), an account of his experiment in living in solitude. A powerful social critic, his essay Civil Disobedience (1849) influenced such dissenters as Gandhi

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Other Word Forms

• Thoreauvian
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Thoreau

When most people think of the foundational figures in American environmentalism, they likely conjure up such wistful white Transcendentalists as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Louisa May Alcott.

From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026

None shines brighter than the “Wellfleet Oysterman,” to whom Thoreau devotes an entire glorious chapter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

Thoreau might have been surprised to learn that for later Americans, his name would be shorthand for the use of nature as a lens through which to view the self.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

Thoreau held a deep suspicion of government and all hierarchies, including armies and corporations.

From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026

I wonder if, unlike Thoreau, two hundred years from now I might still be able to visit my pond and forest.

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson