renewable

adjective

re·​new·​able ri-ˈnü-ə-bəl How to pronounce renewable (audio)
-ˈnyü-
1
: capable of being renewed
renewable contracts
2
: capable of being replaced by natural ecological cycles or sound management practices
renewable resources
renewability
ri-ˌnü-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce renewable (audio)
-ˌnyü-
noun
renewable noun
renewably
ri-ˈnü-ə-blē How to pronounce renewable (audio)
-ˈnyü-
adverb

Examples of renewable in a Sentence

a renewable life insurance policy Forests are renewable natural resources, but they must be treated with care. Wind and water are renewable fuel sources.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These developments support the modernization of renewable energy systems and help drive national carbon-reduction goals. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2026 Even as renewable energy expands, grids around the world still rely on fossil fuels. — Justin Worland, Time, 23 Oct. 2026 The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant provides a large-scale clean baseload, while Masdar’s global renewable energy portfolio has reached 65GW and is set to increase to 100GW by 2030. — H.e. Dr Abdulla Saif Al Jarwan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026 The dashboard collects information on energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, waste management, workforce demographics and renewable-energy installations. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for renewable

Word History

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of renewable was in 1661

Rhymes for renewable

See All Rhymes for renewable

Browse Nearby Words

renew
renewable
renewable fuse
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Renewable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/renewable. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

renewable

adjective
re·​new·​able ri-ˈn(y)ü-ə-bəl How to pronounce renewable (audio)
1
: capable of being renewed
2
: capable of being replaced by natural ecological cycles or sound management procedures
renewable resources like water, wildlife, forests, and grasslands
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All