nonsustainable
1
7.2
- adjective
- /ˌnɒn.səˈsteɪ.nə.bəl/
- Using nonsustainable resources can lead to depletion of vital natural habitats.
- nonsustainable development
Examples
-
The company's reliance on nonsustainable practices is harming the environment.
-
This nonsustainable situation can be clearly seen in the damage done to major elements necessary for the continued well-being of the planet.
Academic text (1993) -
In this sense, some nonsustainable development seems inevitable.
Academic text (1990) -
As many contend it does, such growth is nonsustainable.
Academic text (1995) -
All the rhetoric aside, the alternative is aiding continued pollution from nonsustainable energy sources.
Academic text (1999) -
For some cases, particularly in arid areas, the groundwater resource is treated as nonsustainable.
Academic text (2006) -
A major cause of nonsustainable development is that benefits to particular individuals or groups from overexploitation may be great, whereas losses are shared broadly by society as a whole.
Academic text (1990) -
There are often long delays between the initiation of nonsustainable exploitation rates and the appearance of their deleterious effects.
Academic text (1990) -
Short-term nonsustainable development is also favored by three factors: time frames that are too short, spatial frames that are too small, and economic incentives for overuse.
Academic text (1990) -
Nonsustainable human land-use patterns have been cited as the primary cause of tropical habitat degradation (IUCN/UNEP/WWF, 1980, 1991).
Academic text (1998)
Synonyms
47
5.0
Not able to continue in the same way for a long time
2
6.4
Not able to succeed or continue, for example a project
1
7.8
Not able to live, develop, or succeed
1
7.6
Too damaged or complex to keep in good condition
1
6.5
Not kept for a long time
Ending quickly and lasting only a short time
Antonyms
198
4.5
Can continue for a long time without using up resources or harming the environment
How Sustainable
Surface Forms
Morphology
nonsustainable = sustainable (transparent) = non + sustain + able
This is a direct negation of sustainable, so the morphological relationship is straightforward.
Etymology
Nonsustainable breaks into non- 'not' and sustainable, from sustain meaning 'to hold up' or 'keep going'. So a nonsustainable practice is one that cannot be 'kept up' over time without harming nature or using up resources.