antienvironmentalism
|an-ti-en-vi-ron-men-tal-ism|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.ti.ɪn.vəˌraɪ.ənˈmɛn.təl.ɪ.zəm/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.ti.ɪn.vəˌraɪ.ənˈmen.t(ə)l.ɪ.zəm/
against environmental protection
Etymology
'antienvironmentalism' originates from two elements: the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') and 'environmentalism' (from 'environment' + suffixes '-al' and '-ism'), where 'environment' comes via French 'environ' meaning 'to surround'.
'environment' entered English from Old French/French (environ, environner) meaning 'to surround', and 'environmentalism' is an English formation (environment + -al + -ism) dating from the 19th–20th century; combining the Greek-derived prefix 'anti-' with 'environmentalism' gave the compound 'antienvironmentalism' in modern English.
Initially the components meant 'against' (anti-) and 'concern with surroundings' (environment/environmentalism); over time the combined term has come to mean either opposition to the environmental movement or actions/policies harmful to the environment.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
opposition to environmentalism as a political or social movement; a stance against policies intended to protect the natural environment.
The politician's platform promoted economic growth at the expense of conservation, reflecting a clear case of antienvironmentalism.
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Noun 2
practices, policies, or actions that are harmful to the environment or that disregard environmental protection (often used to describe conduct rather than an ideology).
The company's antienvironmentalism was evident in its repeated dumping of industrial waste into local waterways.
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Last updated: 2025/08/31 14:21