sustainability
Americannoun
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the ability to be sustained, supported, upheld, or confirmed.
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Environmental Science. the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance.
The committee is developing sustainability standards for products that use energy.
Etymology
Origin of sustainability
Explanation
"Sustain" means to last over time, so sustainability is the ability of something to last. As a civilization, we are concerned about the sustainability of our planet. Sustainability became a big idea after people began to realize that we were using up our natural resources, so you’re most likely to come across the word when you’re reading about recycling and energy use. If you hear someone talking about sustainability in the context of energy, they’re probably talking about alternatives to oil or coal — both of which will run out in the future. A sustainable source of energy is something that's always there — like water or wind.
Vocabulary lists containing sustainability
Human Geography - Middle School
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Human Geography - High School
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Ecology - Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Financial markets received a sharp wake-up call on Tuesday following a sudden wave of selling in major technology shares, triggering widespread doubt over the sustainability of the AI boom.
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026
The selloff followed SpaceX’s bond issuance plan and investor worries about valuation, AI boom sustainability, and rate hikes.
From Barron's • Jun. 23, 2026
In the nonprofit world, financial stability is evaluated in terms of mission sustainability, but you still need to take a financial pulse of the community.
From Barron's • Jun. 20, 2026
In addition, there were 3.4 more incidents that breached the environmental, sustainability and governance pledges of the director’s company.
From Salon • Jun. 20, 2026
They're doing great, but the available farmland isn’t enough for sustainability.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
