environment

IPA/ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt/
KK[ɪnvˈaɪrənmənt]IPA/ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt/

environment — noun

  • environmentsingular
  • environmentsplural

1. the natural world — including the air, water, land, plants, and animals — consid

1.nounA2
Definition

the natural world — including the air, water, land, plants, and animals — considered as a system in which all living things exist.

Example

Sayaka joined a beach clean-up group to help protect the local environment.

collocation: protect the environment

Scientists warned that rising temperatures threaten the environment worldwide.

collocation: threaten / damage the environment

Common collocations
  • protect the environment
  • damage / destroy the environment
  • the natural environment
  • the marine environment
  • impact on the environment
  • environmental policy
  • environmental damage
Synonyms
  • nature

    Broader term covering everything not made by humans; less focused on systemic protection than 'environment'.

  • ecosystem

    More scientific; refers to a specific community of organisms interacting with their physical surroundings.

  • habitat

    More specific; refers to the natural home of a particular species or group of organisms.

Grammar Patterns

the environment

environment + noun (environment minister, environment policy)

Usage Note

When referring to the natural world as a whole, this sense almost always appears with the definite article: 'the environment'. It can also combine with domain-specific adjectives such as 'marine', 'urban', or 'built' to describe particular types of natural or human-altered ecosystems.

Common Mistakes

We must protect the nature.
We must protect the environment (or nature without “the”).
In English, “nature” (the natural world) does not take “the”; “environment” in the ecological sense always takes “the.”

2. the people, objects, and conditions around you at home, work, or school, and how

2.nounB1
Definition

the people, objects, and conditions around you at home, work, or school, and how they affect your feelings or behaviour.

Example

A noisy open-plan office can be a difficult environment for focused work.

collocation: work environment

Constanza finds it easier to study in a library environment than at home.

collocation: study / learning environment

Common collocations
  • work environment
  • learning environment
  • home environment
  • social environment
  • supportive environment
  • competitive environment
  • safe environment
  • create an environment
  • provide an environment
Synonyms
  • surroundings

    More concrete and physical; focuses on what is immediately around you rather than social or emotional conditions.

  • setting

    Often implies the physical place where an activity happens; common in academic or literary contexts.

  • atmosphere

    Emphasises the mood or emotional quality of a place rather than its physical or structural conditions.

  • conditions

    Plural; broader and more neutral, covering both physical and social factors.

Grammar Patterns

adjective + environment

environment + for + noun/-ing

Usage Note

This sense is countable and regularly modified by adjectives describing quality ('supportive', 'hostile', 'competitive', 'stable') or domain ('work', 'home', 'social', 'learning', 'classroom'). Unlike Sense 1, it rarely takes 'the' alone without a modifier, unless the context already specifies the domain.

Common Mistakes

She works in a competitive environment.' (countable use is correct here.)
Same sentence is fine. However, learners often incorrectly use 'environment' where 'situation' or 'atmosphere' would be more natural: ❌ 'I was in a difficult environment yesterday.' ✅ 'I was in a difficult situation yesterday.
'Environment' usually refers to stable, ongoing conditions, not a single event.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words relate to the physical world, but they differ in scope and context. 'Environment' (natural world sense) is the broadest systemic term — it refers to the whole system of air, water, land, and living things, often with a focus on protection or policy ('protect the environment'). 'Nature' is equally broad but less systemic; it emphasises everything not made by humans — mountains, forests, weather, animals — and is used without 'the' ('the beauty of nature'). 'Ecosystem' is a scientific term for a specific community of living things interacting with their physical surroundings, like 'a coral reef ecosystem'. 'Habitat' is the most specific, referring to the natural home of a particular species, e.g. 'the panda’s habitat'. Example: 'We must protect the environment from plastic waste' (policy/systemic). 'We enjoyed the peace of nature in the mountains' (scenic/broad). 'The lake’s ecosystem depends on clean water' (scientific). 'The wetland is a habitat for migratory birds' (species-specific).

environment ↗nature ↗ecosystem ↗habitat ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • environment minister
  • environment policy
  • environmental protection
  • environmental impact

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be kind to the environment
  • harmful to the environment
  • good for the environment

Prepositions

  • in the environment
  • within an environment

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

The word 'environment' entered English in the early 1600s from French 'environner', meaning 'to surround'. The French verb came from 'environ' ('around'), which itself was formed from 'virer' ('to turn' or 'to change direction'). English first used 'environment' simply to mean 'surroundings' — the people, objects, or conditions around a person. The modern ecological sense — the natural world and its systems — became common only in the mid‑20th century, when concerns about pollution and conservation made people think of the planet as a shared environment that needed protection.