Meaning & use
ecological
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounbiology
Connected with how living things relate to each other and to their surroundings.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: an ecological study.
Patterns
- ecological balance
Scientists studied the ecological effects of the dam.
The lake is an ecological treasure.
The oil spill caused ecological harm to the coast.
adjectivecomparableapproving
Not harmful to the environment.
Grammar: Used in everyday talk about green products.
The shop sells ecological cleaning products.
They chose an ecological way to heat the house.
She wants a more ecological lifestyle.
Common combinations
- ecological balance
- Wolves help keep the ecological balance.
- ecological disaster
- The spill was an ecological disaster.
- ecological footprint
- Flying raises your ecological footprint.
- ecological system
- A pond is a small ecological system.
- ecological impact
- The study measured the ecological impact of roads.
Synonyms and how they differ
- environmental
- Environmental is wider and covers pollution and policy, while ecological focuses on living systems.
- green
- Green is informal and describes friendliness to the environment, not scientific relationships.
- eco-friendly
- Eco-friendly is used for products, while ecological mainly describes systems or studies.
- biological
- Biological is about life in general, while ecological is about life in relation to surroundings.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: ecological or economical?
ecological vs economical
Economical means not wasting money, while ecological is about nature.
Practice
The factory's waste caused serious ___ damage to the river.
Choose one answer.
Ecological relates to living things and their environment, so it fits river damage. Economical is about saving money.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ecological”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.