environment

[ en-vahy-ruhn-muhnt, -vahy-ern- ]

noun

1. the aggregate of surrounding things, conditions, or influences; surroundings; milieu.

   Synonyms: environs, locale

2. Ecology. the air, water, minerals, organisms, and all other external factors surrounding and affecting a given organism at any time.
3. the social and cultural forces that shape the life of a person or a population.
4. Computers. the hardware or software configuration, or the mode of operation, of a computer system:

   In a time-sharing environment, transactions are processed as they occur.

5. an indoor or outdoor setting characterized by the presence of environmental art that is designed specifically to make use of that site.

environment

/ ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt /

noun

1. external conditions or surroundings, esp those in which people live or work
2. ecology the external surroundings in which a plant or animal lives, which tend to influence its development and behaviour
3. the state of being environed; encirclement
4. computing an operating system, program, or integrated suite of programs that provides all the facilities necessary for a particular application

   a word-processing environment

environment

/ ĕn-vī′rən-mənt /

1. All of the biotic and abiotic factors that act on an organism, population, or ecological community and influence its survival and development. Biotic factors include the organisms themselves, their food, and their interactions. Abiotic factors include such items as sunlight, soil, air, water, climate, and pollution. Organisms respond to changes in their environment by evolutionary adaptations in form and behavior.

Derived Forms

• enˌvironˈmental, adjective
• enˌvironˈmentally, adverb

Other Words From

• en·vi·ron·men·tal [en-vahy-r, uh, n-, muhn, -tl, -vahy-ern-], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of environment¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Middle French environnement; environ, -ment

Synonym Study

Environment, milieu, ambiance, setting, surroundings all refer to what makes up the atmosphere or background against which someone or something is seen. Environment may refer either to actual physical surroundings or to social or cultural background factors: an environment of crime and grinding poverty. Milieu, encountered most often in literary writing, refers to intangible aspects of the environment: an exhilarating milieu of artistic ferment and innovation. Ambiance applies to the atmosphere of the surroundings, their mood or tone: an ambiance of ease and elegance. Setting suggests a background that sets something off: a perfect setting for the emerald. Surroundings alludes specifically to the physical aspects of the environment: awoke in strange surroundings; blend in with her surroundings. See ecosystem ( def ).

Example Sentences

Genetics alone does not an eating disorder make, generally speaking, and Bulik points out that environment still plays a role.

From The Daily Beast

And in an environment where time is money, hooking up with an escort just might be the sensible thing to do.

From The Daily Beast

This does not reflect lack of interest in a better environment.

From The Daily Beast

Are you more pessimistic about the overall public education crisis given this current environment?

From The Daily Beast

An expert in education talks about race relations, the political environment and what can be done to improve things.

From The Daily Beast

But for the most part even industry and endowment were powerless against the inertia of custom and the dead-weight of environment.

From Project Gutenberg

The vision itself is an outcome of that divine discontent which raises man above his environment.

From Project Gutenberg

The human race, if favored by environment, can easily double itself every twenty-five years.

From Project Gutenberg

This was his native habitat, an environment precisely suited to his peculiar talent.

From Project Gutenberg

Environment modifies his nature: environment consists of the operation of forces external to his nature.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• climate
• habitat
• mise en scène
• setting
• situation
• status
• surroundings