vegetarianism
noun
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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
Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025
Eventually, Gen Alpha could change or influence behaviors around food waste, vegetarianism and fast fashion, Sivachelvam said.
—Michelle Fox, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2025
With an off-kilter tone and a dexterous, irreverent attitude toward religious fervor, Leach explores a range of topics, including vegetarianism, contemporary Christian music, and teaching English classes in Paraguay.
—The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
Despite the relatively common practice of temporarily cheating on veganism or vegetarianism, many people who do so do not tell others, Czarnecki said.
—Christine Rousselle, Fox News, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vegetarianism
Cite this Entry
“Vegetarianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vegetarianism. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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