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tree-hugging

tree-hugging

3 7.7
Supporting strong protection of nature, often by public action
  • adjective
  • /triː ˈhʌɡɪŋ/
  • Informal
translation icon : defensor del medio ambiente
  • They described him as a tree-hugging enthusiast who organized community cleanups to protect the environment.
  • tree-hugging environmentalist
  • granola-loving tree-hugging

Examples

  • My workplace is 99% liberal, tree-hugging, all-inclusive.

    Blog text (17)
  • I said, "Nope, I'm on my way to a tree-hugging party."

  • Back then I was a tree-hugging, anti-establishment kind of girl, with little faith in the military or U.S. government.

    Blog text (3)
  • I have gone from a hardcore conservative to a tree-hugging liberal.

    Blog text (33)
  • And maybe it helped turn me into a lifetime tree-hugging hippie, so I am eternally grateful.

    Blog text (17)
  • He's a right-wing, fiscally conservative, beef-eating Republican, and I'm a liberal, tree-hugging, salmon-eating Democrat.

    Blog text (19)
  • As a tree-hugging activist, she dedicated her weekends to cleaning up local parks.

  • The documentary highlighted the tree-hugging movement and its impact on environmental policies.

Synonyms

greeny
vstree-hugging
  • UK
1 4.1

Supporting actions that protect the environment

is more active and often informal or used disparagingly

Antonyms

9.4

Causing very large damage to nature and killing many plants and animals

How Green

tree-hugging
  • Informal
3 7.7
green-minded
1 5.6
green
362 3.2
concerned
773 3.5
indifferent
1 4.5

Surface Forms

tree-hugging positive

Morphology

tree-hugging = tree + hug (transparent) = tree + hug + ing

Built from 'tree' + 'hug' with the participial '-ing'; the meaning 'hugging trees' (metaphorically supporting environmental protection) is readily deducible.

Etymology

Tree-hugging comes from people who literally hugged trees to protect them, and it joins tree and hug where hug means 'to hold someone or something close'. That's why tree-hugging describes strong support for protecting nature and is sometimes used as a joke or insult.