# ecological

Pronunciation: say "ee-kuh-LOJ-i-kuhl" US /ˌikəˈlɑd͡ʒɪkəl/, UK /ˌiːkəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkl̩/

## Adjective

1. Relating to ecology: the web of relationships between organisms and the environment they live in.
   - Simple: Having to do with how living things and their surroundings affect one another.
   - _Researchers tracked the ecological effects of removing wolves from the park._
   - _The wetland's ecological role includes filtering water and sheltering migratory birds._
2. Not harmful to the environment, made or done in a way that avoids damaging the natural world.
   - Simple: Not causing harm to nature or the environment.
   - _The festival promoted ecological alternatives to single-use plastics._
   - _Their new factory uses an ecological process that releases no toxic waste._

## Origin

Formed from "ecology" combined with the suffix "-ical".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/ecological (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).