What does "environment" mean?
The surroundings of, and influences on, a particular item of interest.
Environment
/ɪnˈvaɪ.ɹə.mənt/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The surroundings of, and influences on, a particular item of interest.
- Grammar: environment is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: surroundings, ambiance, ambiances, ambience.
- Useful contrasts: built environment, sterile area, unfavorable setting.
- Usage evidence: The environment was the focus of student council activities.
How to use "environment"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "environment" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "environment" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "environment" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "environment" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "environment" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "surroundings" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "environment", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The surroundings of, and influences on, a particular item of interest.
"What was seen from the top down, as a large environment with many difficult trade-offs, is instead seen from the bottom up--as 10 million microenvironments, each to be regulated in its own right. It is this inversion of perspective that distinguishes microgovernment from other kinds of regulation, and that accounts for its often-bizarre behavior."
- 2 the area in which something exists or lives wordnet
- 3 The natural world or ecosystem.
"It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: […]; […]; or perhaps to muse on the irrelevance of the borders that separate nation states and keep people from understanding their shared environment."
- 4 the totality of surrounding conditions wordnet
- 5 All the elements that affect a system or its inputs and outputs.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A particular political or social setting, arena or condition.
- 7 The software or hardware existing on any particular computer system.
"That program uses the Microsoft Windows environment."
- 8 The environment of a function at a point during the execution of a program is the set of identifiers in the function's scope and their bindings at that point.
- 9 The set of variables and their values in a namespace that an operating system associates with a process.
Antonyms
built environmentsterile areaunfavorable setting
Example
"The environment was the focus of student council activities."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "environment"?
Common synonyms include: surroundings, ambiance, ambiances, ambience, ambient, ambit.
How do you use "environment" in a sentence?
The environment was the focus of student council activities.
How do you pronounce "environment"?
Pronounced /ɪnˈvaɪ.ɹə.mənt/.
Etymology
From Middle French environnement. Compare French environnement. By surface analysis, environ + -ment.