Word.ws English Dictionary

nature-deficit disorder

Syllables: na·ture-de·fi·cit dis·or·derUK/ˈneɪtʃə ˈdɛfɪsɪt dɪsˈɔːdə(ɹ)/US/ˈneɪtʃɚ ˈdɛfəsɪt dɪsˈɔːɹdɚ/

nature-deficit disorder noun: a disputed class of behavioural problems in modern children, ascribed to the fact that they spend little time outdoors.

Noun

nature-deficit disorder (countable and uncountable, plural nature-deficit disorders)

  1. A disputed class of behavioural problems in modern children, ascribed to the fact that they spend little time outdoors.
    • Nature-deficit disorder severely hampers, if not fully blocks, development of environmental literacy. Environmental communicators, educators and interpreters talk about their work as an 'antidote' or 'cure' for nature-deficit disorder.2010, Richard R. Jurin, Donny Roush, Jeff Danter, “Developing Your Environmental Literacy”, in Environmental Communication: Skills and Principles for Natural Resource Managers, Scientists, and...
    • By its broadest interpretation, nature-deficit disorder is an atrophied awareness, a diminished ability to find meaning in life that surrounds us, whatever form it takes. This shrinkage of our lives has a direct impact on our physical, mental, and societal health. However, not only can...2011, Richard Louv, “Singing for Bears”, in The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age, New York, N.Y.: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, →ISBN, page 11
    Synonyms:
    NDD

Synonyms of nature-deficit disorder

Forms of nature-deficit disorder

pluralnature-deficit disorders
alternative formnature deficit disorder

Origin of nature-deficit disorder

Coined by American author and journalist Richard Louv (born 1949) in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods, modelled on attention deficit disorder.

Words formed from nature-deficit disorder

Words that rhyme with nature-deficit disorder

2 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about nature-deficit disorder

What does nature-deficit disorder mean?
Nature-deficit disorder means a disputed class of behavioural problems in modern children, ascribed to the fact that they spend little time outdoors.
What part of speech is nature-deficit disorder?
Nature-deficit disorder is a noun.
How do you pronounce nature-deficit disorder?
Nature-deficit disorder is pronounced /ˈneɪtʃə ˈdɛfɪsɪt dɪsˈɔːdə(ɹ)/ (UK).
What is the plural of nature-deficit disorder?
The plural of nature-deficit disorder is nature-deficit disorders.

Words near nature-deficit disorder in the dictionary

  1. nature's garb
  2. nature's scythe
  3. nature's scythes
  4. nature's toothbrush
  5. nature's toothbrushes
  6. nature-deficit disorder
  7. nature-deficit disorders
  8. nature-friendly
  9. nature-lover
  10. nature-lovers
  11. nature-positive

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: nature-deficit disorder (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:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-nature-deficit disorder.ogg.

Cite this entry: “nature-deficit disorder.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/nature-deficit_disorder. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.