environment
/ɪnˈvʌɪrənm(ə)nt
/ /ɛnˈvʌɪrənm(ə)nt/noun
1The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates: survival in an often hostile environment...
- I lived in hostile environments, surrounded by religious bigotry where no one understood me.
- As one might expect, the environments in which farm animals are confined can also be significantly contaminated.
- They have no respect for their environment, their surroundings and their neighbours.
Synonyms
habitat, territory, domain, home, abode;
surroundings, conditions, environs, circumstances
1.1 [usually with modifier] The setting or conditions in which a particular activity is carried on: a good learning environment...
- It is all the more heartening when one considers that the learning environment is less than ideal.
- Some fantastic things are happening in terms of learning in the workplace environment.
- The fault may lie in domestic or school environments where negative situations may have arisen.
Synonyms
situation, setting, milieu, medium, background, backdrop, scene, scenario, location, locale, context, framework;
sphere, world, realm;
preserve, province;
ambience, atmosphere, climate, mood, air, aura
1.2 [with modifier] Computing The overall structure within which a user, computer, or program operates: a desktop development environment...
- On a side note, only one of the two real-time environments may be loaded at any one time.
- Be sure you can recover your system before you start configuring these environment variables.
- The install is not complete until a couple of environment variables are configured.
2 (the environment) The natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area, especially as affected by human activity: the impact of pesticides on the environment [as modifier]: a parliamentary environment committee...
- I am involved in creating pesticides that are better for both humans and the environment.
- So much sewage being pumped into the Thames is bad for the environment, bad for human health and bad for the image of the Thames.
- Education and the environment are the key areas of interest for the bank, worldwide.
Synonyms
the natural world, nature, the living world, the world, the earth, the ecosystem, the biosphere, Mother Nature, Gaia;
wildlife, flora and fauna, the countryside, the landscape