humanaltered

Humanaltered is a neologistic term used in some environmental, technological, and cultural discussions to describe elements that have been modified or produced by human activity. It combines human and altered into a single modifier to emphasize intentional intervention and the scale of change, without presuming a formal scientific category. Its usage is informal and varies by author; some prefer anthropogenic, human-modified, or altered-by-humans.

In practice, humanaltered can refer to landscapes such as urban areas, agricultural fields, and dammed or mined ecosystems; to organisms including domesticated species and genetically engineered strains; and to artifacts and infrastructure such as buildings, plastics, and energy grids. The term is often used to frame analysis around human responsibility for changes versus natural processes, and it can be a useful shorthand in interdisciplinary discussions where different fields describe similar phenomena with varying terminology.

The term is not widely standardized and may overlap with established terms like anthropogenic or synthetic. Critics argue that it risks ambiguity or diluting precise scientific language, while supporters say it foregrounds human agency in rapid environmental and technological change.

Related concepts include anthropogenic change, human modification of ecosystems, urban ecology, and engineered systems.