vegetarian

noun veg·e·tar·i·an \ ˌve-jə-ˈter-ē-ən \

|Updated on: 19 Aug 2018

Editor's Note: The difference between vegetarian, vegan, and other diets

Definition of vegetarian

1 : a person who does not eat meat : someone whose diet consists wholly of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and sometimes eggs or dairy products

2 : herbivore

See vegetarian defined for English-language learners

See vegetarian defined for kids

Recent Examples of vegetarian from the Web

The trips will obviously appeal to global travelers who opt out of traditional food tours but also offer meat eaters and vegetarians a way to try out veganism, with the bonus of exotic settings.

— diane daniel, BostonGlobe.com, "Intrepid Travel launches vegan tours," 26 June 2018
The Denton menu is relatively small, with a handful of empanada (both savory and sweet) and taco choices (for carnivores and vegetarians), a couple of sandwiches, yuca fries, daily specials and more, as well as aguas frescas, beer and wine drinks.

— robert philpot, star-telegram, "A Denton fave is bringing its Latin American street food to Keller | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 21 May 2018
Iron is found in meat, fish, and other animal products, plus beans and legumes, so vegans and vegetarians might be more likely to be low in iron.

— jane chertoff, SELF, "This Is Why Your Eyebrows Are Thinner Than They Used to Be—and What to Do About It," 13 July 2018
Frederickson is a vegan and Kenneally was an ethical vegetarian, which also helped them connect.

— leor galil, Chicago Reader, "Music / RIP Remembering soundman and musician Patrick Kenneally, who nurtured scenes in Chicago and Portland," 18 June 2018
French cuisine traditionally relies heavily on meat and dairy, and vegetarians and vegans make up a tiny minority of the population.

— Time, "French Butchers Want Protection From 'Militant' Vegans," 27 June 2018
Of course, the options for vegetarians and vegans have vastly improved over the years, particularly in cities.

— anna orso, Philly.com, "This is what happens when a popular West Philly taco joint goes full vegan," 27 June 2018
There’s a fresh take on potato skins with brown butter-caper yogurt and smoked paprika aioli, and even a ratatouille (fortunately prepared by humans, not rats) for vegetarians, as well as a lengthy list of craft cocktail (and mocktails).

— pam kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Pixar Pier debuts Saturday at Disney California park," 22 June 2018
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, women who are vegetarians, have limited sun exposure and are members of ethnic minorities, especially those with darker skin, are at greatest risk for vitamin D deficiency.

— michael roizen, m.d., and mehmet oz, Houston Chronicle, "How can you recognize and prevent suicide?," 17 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vegetarian.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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.