Greenie means: An environmentalist, someone who shows concern for the environment; often aimed at environmental extremists.. It is mainly New Zealand English and may not be understood outside that context. It is generally derogatory or offensive; worth a quiet word about how it lands on the person being described. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
greenie
(chiefly, Australia, New Zealand, slang, derogatory) An environmentalist, someone who shows concern for the environment; often aimed at environmental extremists.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1973 · 1 year of recorded useDefinitions
(chiefly, Australia, New Zealand, slang, derogatory) An environmentalist, someone who shows concern for the environment; often aimed at environmental extremists.
People ask me if am I a greenie and I go, ‘No, not in the sense that I chain myself to trees, no I′m not. But in the sense that I am concerned about the environment and do my little bit to help, then yes I am.’
Greenie means: An environmentalist, someone who shows concern for the environment; often aimed at environmental extremists.. It is mainly New Zealand English and may not be understood outside that context. It is generally derogatory or offensive; worth a quiet word about how it lands on the person being described. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
greenie means: An environmentalist, someone who shows concern for the environment; often aimed at environmental extremists.. Register: very informal, often derogatory or vulgar. Avoid in formal, business, academic, or polite writing. Even in casual speech the word can offend and is best left out of a learner's active vocabulary. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
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(Australian politics, informal, by extension) A member of the Australian Greens.
“What′s a greenie doing with a gas hog like that?”
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(US, Wyoming, derogatory, slang) A person from Colorado; after the color of the Colorado license plate.
2009, Sean Dooley, Cooking With Baz, Large Print 16pt Edition, [http://books.google.com.au/books?id=SgDU_YHFchQC&pg=PA25&dq=%22greenie%22+-intitle:%22%22+-inauthor:%22%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=B5ZtT4XsOIbFmQWV6uS5Bg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22gr…
“It’s a caricature. The Green Goblin is a bit much, but he does kind of look like that. And ftr, I’m a Greenie.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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