vegetarianism

noun

veg·​e·​tar·​i·​an·​ism ˌve-jə-ˈter-ē-ə-ˌni-zəm How to pronounce vegetarianism (audio)
: the theory or practice of living on a vegetarian diet

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The Difference Between Vegetarian, Vegan, and Other Diets

The word vegetarian sprouted up in 1839. Fruitarian ("a person who lives on fruit") ripened by 1893. In 1944, vegetarians who consume no animal or dairy products began calling themselves vegans. Then, in 1993, those who eat fish but no other meat chose pesce, the Italian word for "fish," to create the designation pescatarian. In that same year, meatatarian was served up as a word for those whose diet largely includes meat; that word is rare, however, and is usually used in informal and humorous ways, making it the type of fare not included in our dictionaries. Another fairly recent dietary word is flexitarian, a person who follows a mostly vegetarian diet but occasionally eats meat or fish.

Examples of vegetarianism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For example, folks who struggle to consume enough protein in the morning could benefit from them (throwing together a protein shake is a quick, easy option), as could people with certain food allergies and those following specific diets, like veganism or vegetarianism, Ehsani says. Jenny McCoy, Glamour, 2 Feb. 2024 Compared to switching to vegetarianism or veganism to avoid the extensive carbon emissions associated with animal agriculture, money is easy to move. Matt Simon, WIRED, 21 Dec. 2023 The celebratory meal featured a roasted pig (which the couple didn’t eat both because of their vegetarianism and Jewish dietary laws). Alix Wall, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2023 Accordingly, the consumption of meat is a natural need of humankind whereas vegetarianism is unnatural and possibly even harmful to health. Katharina Menne, Scientific American, 25 Oct. 2023 Nabeel Yaseen, the study’s lead author and a professor emeritus of pathology at Northwestern University, said the findings may indicate that sticking with vegetarianism isn’t solely a matter of willpower. Katie Mogg, NBC News, 5 Oct. 2023 The results also pointed to 31 other genes associated with vegetarianism as well, though more weakly. Katie Mogg, NBC News, 5 Oct. 2023 There are many kinds of vegetarianism, but many folks are reducing the amount of meat in their diets, or cutting it out altogether. Katie Workman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2023 Nevertheless, one friend, an unabashed lover of steak, insisted on telling me repeatedly how joyless vegetarianism was. Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 27 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vegetarianism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1848, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of vegetarianism was circa 1848

Dictionary Entries Near vegetarianism

Cite this Entry

“Vegetarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vegetarianism. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

vegetarianism

noun
veg·​e·​tar·​i·​an·​ism ˌvej-ə-ˈter-ē-ə-ˌniz-əm How to pronounce vegetarianism (audio)
: the theory and practice of living on a vegetarian diet

Medical Definition

vegetarianism

noun
veg·​e·​tar·​i·​an·​ism -ē-ə-ˌniz-əm How to pronounce vegetarianism (audio)
: the theory or practice of living on a vegetarian diet
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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