environmentalist
gb/ɪnvˌaɪɹənmˈɛntəlɪst/ us/ɪnvˌaɪɹənmˈɛntəlɪst/
B2
English
~ 8800
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
entity
1
person who cares about the environment
A person who cares a lot about nature and wants to protect the Earth from damage.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is an environmentalist
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "environmental" (an adjective) with "environmentalist" (a person). For example, "She is very environmental" is incorrect; it should be "She is an environmentalist" or "She cares about the environment." Another mistake is using it for things instead of people, like "an environmentalist problem" instead of "an environmental problem."
Synonyms
conservationist (Often focuses more on protecting wildlife and natural resources; slightly less political-sounding than environmentalist in some contexts.)
|
eco-activist (Emphasizes active campaigning and protest; sounds more strongly activist than environmentalist.)
Antonyms
polluter (Refers to a person, group, or company that causes environmental damage instead of trying to prevent it.)
Collocations
environmentalist groups
|environmentalist movement
|environmentalist policies
|radical environmentalist
|prominent environmentalist
|environmentalist agenda
Themes
environment
|politics
|society
|nature
Examples
- She has been an environmentalist since college and now works to protect local rivers.
- Many environmentalists are calling for stricter laws on plastic waste.
- The mayor describes himself as an environmentalist but also supports new industrial projects.
- Young environmentalists organized a march to demand action on climate change.
- Some politicians accuse environmentalists of caring more about trees than about jobs.
Learner examples
- My sister is an environmentalist and does not use plastic bags.
- Many environmentalists want people to drive less.
- The city invited an environmentalist to talk about air pollution.
- He became an environmentalist after seeing dirty water in the river.
Noun
technical
C1
entity
2
environment expert or specialist
A person whose job is to study the environment or to plan how to reduce damage to it.
Usage pattern:
an environmentalist [advises/assesses/studies] [something]
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize that this professional/scientific sense is more narrow and technical. In everyday speech, "environmentalist" usually means anyone who cares about the environment, not only trained experts. In formal job descriptions, prefer terms like "environmental scientist" or "environmental consultant" if the role is strictly professional.
Synonyms
environmental scientist (More specific and clearly scientific; does not include non-scientist activists, while environmentalist sometimes does in this sense.)
|
environmental consultant (Refers especially to a paid professional who advises companies or governments on environmental issues.)
Antonyms
industrial developer (A professional focused on building or expanding industry, often creating environmental impacts that environmentalists assess or criticize.)
Collocations
consulting environmentalist
|government environmentalist
|environmentalist report
|environmentalist assessment
Themes
environment
|science
|professional
|nature
Examples
- The company hired an environmentalist to evaluate the impact of the new factory.
- Government environmentalists warned that the project could harm the wetlands.
- As an environmentalist with twenty years of field experience, she advised the mining firm on best practices.
- Several environmentalists contributed to the climate risk section of the report.
Learner examples
- The city asked an environmentalist to study the air quality.
- An environmentalist wrote a report about the new road and the trees.
- He works as an environmentalist for the government.
- The company paid an environmentalist to check the river near the plant.
Grammar
Dictionary form
environmentalist
IPA
GB/ɪnvˌaɪɹənmˈɛntəlɪst/
US/ɪnvˌaɪɹənmˈɛntəlɪst/
Syllables & stress
en - vir - on - ment - al - ist (6 syllables)
Stress on 4th syllable (ment)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: environmentalist
- Plural: environmentalists
Word family
Forms
environmentalists
noun
Core family
Related words
environmentalism
noun
Negative and opposite forms
anti-environmental
adjective
Expressions
environmentalist lobby
1/ɪnvˌaɪɹənmˈɛntəlɪst lˈɑbi/
fixed phrase
environmental pressure group(s)
Environmental groups that try to change government policy by talking to politicians and giving them pressure.
Examples
- The environmentalist lobby has opposed the construction of the new oil pipeline.
- Some lawmakers say the environmentalist lobby has too much influence on energy policy.
- The report was welcomed by the environmentalist lobby but criticized by industry groups.
environmentalist movement
1/ɪnvˌaɪɹənmˈɛntəlɪst mˈuvmənt/
fixed phrase
social movement for the environment
All the groups and people who work together in society to protect the environment and change laws or behavior.
Examples
- The environmentalist movement gained strength in the 1960s and 1970s.
- Many young people today see themselves as part of the global environmentalist movement.
- The environmentalist movement has pushed governments to set limits on carbon emissions.