tree hugger
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tree hugger
Where it comes from
From tree + hugger. Popularized after the Chipko movement in India of the 1970s, who resorted to actual group hugging of trees in order to prevent deforestation. Tommy James claims that his song "Draggin' the Line" (1971) popularized the phrase.
noun tree huggers · treehugger · tree-hugger
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An environmental campaigner, especially one who aims to restrict logging and especially one who uses dramatic, attention-grabbing methods of obstruction.
Animal liberationists like Rosmarino resented the tree huggers' insensitivity to animals and reluctance to risk jail time, while more mainstream environmentalists like AFR's Jeff Berman disagreed with the bunny huggers' wacky morality and in-your-face tactics. The two groups' differences were in ful
Similar: eagle freak, greeniac, lentil-weaver, posy sniffer, prairie fairy, yoghurt-knitter
- A hippie. The idea of naturopathic doctors had always formed an image in my mind of old, bearded, tree-huggers who boiled roots and made poultices out of gross things to treat weird people who believed in that "natural" stuff.
Translations
Every language
noun derogatory term for environmental campaigner, anti-logging protester
| Français | écolo |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Baumschmuser, Baumschmuserin |
Talk about this word "tree hugger." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/tree%20hugger. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. tree hugger. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/tree%20hugger "tree hugger." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/tree%20hugger.Cite this
@misc{tree_hugger_2026,
title = {tree hugger},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/tree%20hugger},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
