ecoterrorism

noun

eco·​ter·​ror·​ism ˌē-kō-ˈter-ər-i-zəm How to pronounce ecoterrorism (audio)
ˌe-kō-
1
: sabotage intended to hinder activities that are considered damaging to the environment
2
: political terrorism intended to damage an enemy's natural environment
ecoterrorist noun or adjective

Examples of ecoterrorism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The new, and patently ludicrous, strain of ecoterrorism is targeting the possessions of European museums. Itxu Díaz, National Review, 5 Nov. 2022 Climate change, ecoterrorism, ancient Greek, the Renaissance, the Ottoman Empire, metallurgy and the economic hardship of being a single mother in 21st-century Idaho are all dealt with in crisp, swiftly moving sentences. New York Times, 24 Sep. 2021 Just last month, Jeff VanderMeer released his new eco-thriller Hummingbird Salamander, a suspenseful story that hinges on species loss and ecoterrorism in a very-near future. Anna Funk, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 May 2021 Hummingbird Salamander is a profound exploration of climate change and ecoterrorism, the rare work of fiction that acts as both a mirror and a harbinger for the realities of our world. Seija Rankin, EW.com, 5 Nov. 2020 When the director Agnieszka Holland adapted Drive Your Plow as Spoor, which won a Silver Bear at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival, the far right denounced it as anti-Catholic and sympathetic to ecoterrorism. Julian Lucas, Harper's magazine, 22 July 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ecoterrorism was in 1980

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Cite this Entry

“Ecoterrorism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ecoterrorism. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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