Meanings
- uncountablebusinessThe subfield of engineering concerned with designing and constructing tunnels, mines, and other human-designed geologic structures within and on earth.
“You could say it's one of the first geoengineering projects ever,” says [Carlo] Ratti of the patchwork of land-spattered lagoon that human ingenuity formed into a city, as we settle on the terrace of the Hotel Monaco with an espresso. “This wasn't meant for human living.”
2025 April 26, Caroline Roux, “The age of adaption”, in FT Weekend, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC - uncountableThe artificial manipulation of the environments of a planet, especially Earth, especially as a means of counteracting global warming.
Near-synonyms: planetary engineering, terraforming
3 more examples
Although the panel does not support even pilot programs, it calls geoengineering “technically feasible in terms of cooling effects and costs” and says it has “the potential to affect greenhouse warming on a substantial scale.”
1991 May 20, Sharon Begley, “On the Wings of Icarus”, in Newsweek, page 42Although he views large-scale geoengineering as an act of profound hubris[…]he thinks it may be necessary as an emergency measure, much like kidney dialysis is necessary to a person whose health is failing.
2007 November 1, Jeff Goodell, “James Lovelock, the Prophet”, in Rolling StoneA scientist gets into geoengineering, they're not a scientist anymore, they're a politician. Get hate mail, rocks through window, no one takes their real work seriously, all that.
2020, Kim Stanley Robinson, The Ministry for the Future, Little, Brown Book Group, →ISBNSynonyms: planetary engineering, terraforming
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe artificial manipulation of the environments of a planet, especially Earth, especially as a means of counteracting global warming.
Origin
- Proto-Hellenic*gaya
- Ancient Greekγαῖᾰ (gaîă)clip.
- Ancient Greekγῆ (gê)
- Ancient Greekγεω- (geō-)
- Englishgeo-
- Englishengineer
- Englishengineering
- Englishgeoengineering
From geo- + engineering.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 地質工程 /地质工程, 岩土工程
- 地質工程 /地质工程subfield of engineering
- 岩土工程subfield of engineering
- 地球工程manipulation of environments
- 氣候工程 /气候工程manipulation of environments
Dutch geo-engineering
- geo-engineeringmanipulation of environments
Finnish geotekniikka, ilmastonmuokkaus
- geotekniikkasubfield of engineering
- ilmastonmuokkausmanipulation of environments
French géoingénierie, géo-ingénieurie
- géoingénieriesubfield of engineering
- géo-ingénieuriesubfield of engineering
German Geoengineering
- Geoengineeringmanipulation of environments
Hungarian geomérnökség
- geomérnökségmanipulation of environments
Icelandic loftslagsverkfræði
- loftslagsverkfræðimanipulation of environments
Irish geo-innealtóireacht
- geo-innealtóireachtmanipulation of environments
Polish geoinżynieria, geoinżynieria
- geoinżynieriasubfield of engineering
- geoinżynieriamanipulation of environments
Cite this entry
geoengineering. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/geoengineering
“geoengineering.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/geoengineering. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “geoengineering,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/geoengineering.
Source: geoengineering on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.