adjective · academic

sustainable

/səˈsteɪnəbl/sus·TAIN·a·ble

Band 7+task2speaking

able to be maintained over the long term without causing damage or depletion

Examples

Many governments now promote sustainable farming to protect soil and water.

Shifting to sustainable diets can reduce environmental impact.

We need policies that ensure sustainable use of fisheries.

Band 8 sentence

Policies promoting sustainable agriculture are essential if we want to feed a growing population without degrading the environment.

Collocations

  • sustainable development
  • sustainably produced
  • sustainable agriculture

Word family

sustain verbsustainability nounsustainably adverb

Common mistakes

a sustain solutiona sustainable solution

sustainablely producedsustainably produced

Say it for a higher band

5green6eco-friendly7+sustainable

Synonyms

eco-friendly

Easily confused

stable

A stable economy can still be unsustainable if it relies on depleting resources.

Related words

Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.

In Food & Cooking

Learn it with its set