Words / C1

eek-uh-LOJ-ikl/ˌiːkəˈlɒdʒɪkl/

Ecological means connected with the relationship between living things and their environment: an ecological effect, ecological damage. Environmental is everyday and broader (can include noise, waste policy, human systems); green is informal and political. Ecology is the noun (the study and the web of relations). In speech, to do with nature and habitats is enough. Ecological is scientific in tone. Do not use it as a vague badge for any “nice” product.

Meaning

Connected with the relationship between living things and their environment.

Examples

• “The dam had a serious ecological effect.”
• “The dam had a serious ecological effect on fish migration.”
• “An ecological survey of the field delayed the building by a term.”

Good to know

Of living things and their habitats. Noun: ecology. Everyday: environmental (broader). Scientific tone. Not a marketing synonym for “green”.

Near in meaning

environmental

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