climate change

/ˈklaɪmət ˌtʃeɪndʒ/

noun

Natural large-scale and long-term change in the Earth's climatic system, as brought about by ice ages.

Similar
global climate change

Meanings

nounclimate change (usually uncountable, plural climate changes)

plural climate changes

  1. uncountableusuallyNatural large-scale and long-term change in the Earth's climatic system, as brought about by ice ages.
  2. uncountableusuallyRapid, large-scale, and long-term change in the Earth's climatic system produced by global warming; anthropogenic climate change.

    If you are serious about climate change a rolling programme of electrification is the only rational policy.

    2019 October, Roger Ford, “WCP award - victory for DfT reactionaries”, in Modern Railways, page 31
    5 more examples

    Nevertheless, it is clear that the global energy demand for air-conditioning will grow substantially as nations become more affluent, with the consequences of climate change potentially accelerating the demand.

    2013 September-October, Michael Sivak, “Will AC Put a Chill on the Global Energy Supply?”, in American Scientist

    “Climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, political and for the distribution of goods,” he writes. “It represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day.”

    2015 June 18, Jim Yardley, Laurie Goodstein, quoting Pope Francis, “Pope Francis, in Sweeping Encyclical, Calls for Swift Action on Climate Change”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

    It’s time for our generation-defining public works. How about stopping climate change before we destroy the planet and getting millions of people involved manufacturing and installing solar panels?

    2017 May 25, Mark Zuckerberg, “Mark Zuckerberg’s Commencement address at Harvard”, in The Harvard Gazette

    Both the UK and Europe have experienced record summer temperatures in the past couple of years, which have brought home the fact that climate change is happening.

    2023 December 27, Richard Foster, “Building a greener future”, in RAIL, number 999, page 34

    In short, mainstream parties no longer offer an element that every successful political project requires: a promise of a better world. But nativists still offer it. They solve the problem of climate change by pretending it doesn't exist.

    2025 October 11, Simon Kuper, “A utopian future is still, just about, possible”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 20

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna change in the world's climate

Similar
global climate change
Broader
temperature change

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Afrikaans klimaatsverandering
  • klimaatsveranderingchanges in the Earth's climate
Arabic تَغَيُّر مَنَاخِيّ, تَغَيُّر المَنَاخ
  • تَغَيُّر مَنَاخِيّ (taḡayyur manāḵiyy)changes in the Earth's climate
  • تَغَيُّر المَنَاخ (taḡayyur al-manāḵ)changes in the Earth's climate
Bengali জলবায়ু পরিবর্তন
  • জলবায়ু পরিবর্তন (jolbaẏu poriborton)changes in the Earth's climate
Bulgarian измене́ние на кли́мата
  • измене́ние на кли́мата (izmenénie na klímata)changes in the Earth's climate
Catalan canvi climàtic
  • canvi climàticchanges in the Earth's climate
Chinese Mandarin 氣候變化 /气候变化, 氣候變遷 /气候变迁
  • 氣候變化 /气候变化 (qìhòu biànhuà)changes in the Earth's climate
  • 氣候變遷 /气候变迁 (qìhòu biànqiān)changes in the Earth's climate
Czech klimatické změny
  • klimatické změnychanges in the Earth's climate
Danish klimaændring, klimaforandring
  • klimaændringchanges in the Earth's climate
  • klimaforandringchanges in the Earth's climate
Dutch klimaatsverandering, klimaatwijziging
  • klimaatsveranderingchanges in the Earth's climate
  • klimaatwijzigingchanges in the Earth's climate
Esperanto klimata ŝanĝo, ŝanĝo de klimato
  • klimata ŝanĝochanges in the Earth's climate
  • ŝanĝo de klimatochanges in the Earth's climate
Estonian kliimamuutus
  • kliimamuutuschanges in the Earth's climate
Finnish ilmastonmuutos
  • ilmastonmuutoschanges in the Earth's climate
French changement climatique, dérèglement climatique
  • changement climatiquechanges in the Earth's climate
  • dérèglement climatiquechanges in the Earth's climate
German Klimaveränderung, Klimawandel
  • Klimaveränderungchanges in the Earth's climate
  • Klimawandelchanges in the Earth's climate
  • Klimaänderungchanges in the Earth's climate
  • Klimaentwicklungchanges in the Earth's climate
Greek κλιματική αλλαγή
  • κλιματική αλλαγή (klimatikí allagí)changes in the Earth's climate
Hebrew שינוי אקלים
  • שינוי אקלים (shinúy aklím)changes in the Earth's climate
Hindi जलवायु परिवर्तन
  • जलवायु परिवर्तन (jalvāyu parivartan)changes in the Earth's climate
Hungarian klímaváltozás, éghajlatváltozás
  • klímaváltozáschanges in the Earth's climate
  • éghajlatváltozáschanges in the Earth's climate
Icelandic loftslagsbreytingar
  • loftslagsbreytingarchanges in the Earth's climate
Indonesian perubahan iklim
  • perubahan iklimchanges in the Earth's climate
Irish athrú aeráide
  • athrú aeráidechanges in the Earth's climate
Italian cambiamento climatico, mutamento climatico
  • cambiamento climaticochanges in the Earth's climate
  • mutamento climaticochanges in the Earth's climate
Japanese 気候変動
  • 気候変動 (kikō hendō)changes in the Earth's climate
Korean 기후 변화
  • 기후 변화 (gihu byeonhwa)changes in the Earth's climate
Latin climatis mutatio
  • climatis mutatiochanges in the Earth's climate
Latvian klimata maiņa
  • klimata maiņachanges in the Earth's climate
Lithuanian klimato kaita
  • klimato kaitachanges in the Earth's climate
Norwegian Bokmål klimaendring, klimaforandring
  • klimaendringchanges in the Earth's climate
  • klimaforandringchanges in the Earth's climate
Persian تغییر اقلیم, تغییر آب و هوایی
  • تغییر اقلیم (taġyir-e iqlīm)changes in the Earth's climate
  • تغییر آب و هوایی (taġyir-e âb-o-havâyi)changes in the Earth's climate
  • تغییر اقلیمی (taġyir-e iqlīmi)changes in the Earth's climate
  • تغییرات اقلیمی (taġyirât-e eqlimi)changes in the Earth's climate
  • تغییرات آب و هوایی (taġyirât-e âb-o-havâyi)changes in the Earth's climate
  • تغییر آب و هوا (taġyir-e âb-o-havâ)changes in the Earth's climate
  • دگرگونی اقلیم (degarguni-e eqlim)changes in the Earth's climate
Polish zmiana klimatu
  • zmiana klimatuchanges in the Earth's climate
Portuguese mudança climática
  • mudança climáticachanges in the Earth's climate
Romanian schimbare climatică
  • schimbare climaticăchanges in the Earth's climate
Russian измене́ние кли́мата
  • измене́ние кли́мата (izmenénije klímata)changes in the Earth's climate
Scottish Gaelic atharrachadh aimsir, atharrachadh na gnàth-shìde
  • atharrachadh aimsirchanges in the Earth's climate
  • atharrachadh na gnàth-shìdechanges in the Earth's climate
Spanish cambio climático
  • cambio climáticochanges in the Earth's climate
Swahili mabadiliko ya tabia nchi
  • mabadiliko ya tabia nchichanges in the Earth's climate
Swedish klimatförändring
  • klimatförändringchanges in the Earth's climate
Tagalog pagbabago ng klima
  • pagbabago ng klimachanges in the Earth's climate
Tamil பருவநிலை மாற்றம்
  • பருவநிலை மாற்றம் (paruvanilai māṟṟam)changes in the Earth's climate
Thai การเปลี่ยนแปลงสภาพภูมิอากาศ, การเปลี่ยนแปลงภูมิอากาศ
  • การเปลี่ยนแปลงสภาพภูมิอากาศ (gaan-bplìian-bplɛɛng-sà-pâap-puu-mí-aa-gàat)changes in the Earth's climate
  • การเปลี่ยนแปลงภูมิอากาศ (gaan-bplìian-bplɛɛng-puu-mí-aa-gàat)changes in the Earth's climate
Turkish iklim değişikliği
  • iklim değişikliğichanges in the Earth's climate
Ukrainian змі́на кли́мату
  • змі́на кли́мату (zmína klýmatu)changes in the Earth's climate
Urdu موسمیاتی تبدیلی, ماحولیاتی تبدیلی
  • موسمیاتی تبدیلی (mausamyātī tabdīlī)changes in the Earth's climate
  • ماحولیاتی تبدیلی (māhaulīyātī-tabdīlī)changes in the Earth's climate
  • تبدیلی آب و ہوا (tabdīlī-e-āb-o-havā)changes in the Earth's climate
  • تبدیل آب و ہوا (tabdīl-e-āb-o-havā)changes in the Earth's climate
  • آب و ہوا کی تبدیلی (āb-o-havā kī tabdīlī)changes in the Earth's climate
Vietnamese biến đổi khí hậu, thay đổi khí hậu
  • biến đổi khí hậuchanges in the Earth's climate
  • thay đổi khí hậuchanges in the Earth's climate
Welsh newid hinsawdd
  • newid hinsawddchanges in the Earth's climate
Cite this entry
APA

climate change. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/climate%20change

MLA

“climate change.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/climate%20change. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “climate change,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/climate%20change.

Source: climate change on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.