anthropause
anthropause noun: a global reduction in modern human activity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Noun
anthropause (plural anthropauses)
- A global reduction in modern human activity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The enforced global 'anthropause' during part of 2020 was also a reminder of the importance of timing: we have become used to having the things we need.2020, Alan Parkinson, Why Study Geography?, page 40
- Thus, the COVID-19 lockdown has led to a significant global reduction in human mobility, notably travel, causing an “anthropause” (Rutz et al., 2020).2021 November, Amanda E. Bates, Richard B. Primack, Brandy S. Biggar, Tomas J. Bird, Mary E. Clinton, “Global COVID-19 lockdown highlights humans as both threats and custodians of the environment”...
- Synonyms:
- great pause
Synonyms of anthropause
- great pause
Forms of anthropause
| plural | anthropauses |
|---|---|
| alternative form | anthropopause |
Origin of anthropause
From anthro- + -pause. Coined by a team of researchers and scientists in June 2020 in an article discussing the possible impact of COVID-19 lockdown on wildlife.
Questions about anthropause
- What does anthropause mean?
- Anthropause means a global reduction in modern human activity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- What part of speech is anthropause?
- Anthropause is a noun.
- What is the plural of anthropause?
- The plural of anthropause is anthropauses.
Words near anthropause in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: anthropause (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “anthropause.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/anthropause. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.