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

They also create an environment for surprising new discoveries, things scientists would never have dreamed of had they not been in the lab, conducting basic research.

From Slate

Still, there are ways Trump could weed out other government workers, including by making the job and surrounding environment more unpleasant, like by freezing hiring and requesting cuts to employee training and travel funds in the annual budget.

From Slate

Onion and environmental samples from McDonald's stores and distribution centres have been collected by the FDA, the Colorado Department of Agriculture, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

From BBC

In a world of constraints and an environment under stress, why should he have to share with them?

From Salon

If humankind’s uncharted venture into the hottest and most unpredictably chaotic environment in history was to be marked by a new era of global migration, how would never-ending pressure on the U.S. border weigh on the politics and divisions of this country?

From Salon

Related Words

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