environmentalist

noun

en·​vi·​ron·​men·​tal·​ist in-ˌvī-rə(n)-ˈmen-tə-ləst 

-ˌvī(-ə)r(n)-

plural environmentalists

: an advocate of environmentalism : a person who is focused on the preservation, restoration, and improvement of the natural environment

While dams have been touted in the name of water conservation and clean, renewable energy, environmentalists have long challenged the claim that dams are "green" technology. The deleterious ecological impacts of dams, they insist, have been profound.

—Patrick Joseph

Meanwhile, environmentalists have responded that climate change and habitat loss due to development should require builders to think even more carefully about their projects.

—Emma Cotton et al.

Examples of environmentalist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But environmentalists and some Indigenous Alaskans have warned of the negative impact on the state’s wilderness, wildlife and local subsistence lifestyles. —John Towfighi, CNN, 3 Feb. 2025

President Donald Trump's nomination of RFK Jr. was immediately met with criticism from both political parties and his own family members due to the environmentalist's vacillating and dangerous theories about public health and promotion of conspiracy theories. —Nicole Briese, People.com, 30 Jan. 2025

With the number of chicken and turkey farms having increased since then, the volume of poultry waste has become worrisome, environmentalists say. —Gavin Off, Charlotte Observer, 26 Jan. 2025

The vehicle’s first test mission notably blew up a launchpad in South Texas, causing a blizzard of debris and sparking backlash from environmentalists. —Jackie Wattles, CNN, 30 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

environmentalist

noun

en·​vi·​ron·​men·​tal·​ist -ˌvī-rən-ˈment-ᵊl-əst 

-ˌvī(-ə)rn-

: a person concerned about environmental quality and especially with controlling pollution

Medical Definition

environmentalist

noun

en·​vi·​ron·​men·​tal·​ist -ᵊl-əst 

1

: an advocate of environmentalism

2

: one concerned about environmental quality especially of the human environment with respect to the control of pollution