ecology

noun

ecol·​o·​gy i-ˈkä-lə-jē 

e-

plural ecologies

1

: a branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environments

2

: the totality or pattern of relations between organisms and their environment

3

: human ecology

4

: environment, climate

the moral ecology

also : an often delicate or intricate system or complex

the ecology of language

ecologist

i-ˈkä-lə-jist 

e-

noun

Examples of ecology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The multichannel interactive video installations of Gillette, who had been part of a circle surrounding Marshall McLuhan (then briefly teaching at Fordham University), reflected his own concerns with ecology, media theory, and notions of experimental epistemology. —David A. Ross, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2025

Association Between Low Fluoride Exposure and Children's Intelligence: A Meta-Analysis Relevant to Community Water Fluoridation Sam Walters is a journalist covering archaeology, paleontology, ecology, and evolution for Discover, along with an assortment of other topics. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 18 Dec. 2024

Throughout the show, bodily and earthly concerns are intertwined; so too are currents of feminism, ecology, and anticolonialism. —Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 28 Nov. 2024

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency didn’t elaborate on the details of the agreement signed Wednesday between its senior trade officials and a Russian delegation led by Alexandr Kozlov, the country’s minister of natural resources and ecology. —Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

German Ökologie, from öko- eco- + -logie -logy

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ecology

• deep ecology
• human ecology

Kids Definition

ecology

noun

ecol·​o·​gy i-ˈkäl-ə-jē 

e-

1

: a branch of science concerned with the relationships between living things and their environment

2

: the pattern of relationships between a group of living things and their environment

ecological

ˌē-kə-ˈläj-i-kəl  ˌek-ə- 

adjective

also ecologic

-ˈläj-ik 

ecologically

-ˈläj-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

ecology

noun

ecol·​o·​gy -jē 

plural ecologies

1

: a branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environments

2

: the totality or pattern of relations between organisms and their environment

3

: human ecology

ecological

ˌē-kə-ˈläj-i-kəl  ˌek-ə- 

adjective

also ecologic

-ik 

ecologically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb