vegetarian

1 of 2

noun

veg·​e·​tar·​i·​an ˌve-jə-ˈter-ē-ən How to pronounce vegetarian (audio)
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

vegetarian

2 of 2

adjective

1
: of, relating to, or suitable for vegetarians
a vegetarian restaurant
2
: not containing meat : consisting wholly of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and sometimes eggs or dairy products
a vegetarian diet
vegetarian lunch

Did you know?

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 vegetarian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Root Vegans, vegetarians, and anyone else who can’t abide seafood should already be familiar with Root. Vogue, 13 Sep. 2024 Also, some of its most popular items include Wagyu short rib, Ora King salmon and, for vegetarians (or those just looking for a decadent carbo-load), cacio e pepe which features bucatini made in-house. Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2024
Adjective
WalletHub’s research team noted that Portland residents order vegan and vegetarian food 148% more frequently than the U.S. average. Joni Sweet, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024 The healthy couple wanted all the culinary offerings to be authentic and locally sourced but also light with meat as well as many vegetarian options. Meredith Lepore, Robb Report, 24 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for vegetarian 

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

veget(able) entry 1 + -arian

First Known Use

Noun

1842, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of vegetarian was in 1841

Dictionary Entries Near vegetarian

Cite this Entry

“Vegetarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vegetarian. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

vegetarian

1 of 2 noun
veg·​e·​tar·​i·​an ˌvej-ə-ˈter-ē-ən How to pronounce vegetarian (audio)
1
: a person who refrains from eating meat and lives on a diet made up of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and sometimes eggs or dairy products
2

vegetarian

2 of 2 adjective
1
: of or relating to vegetarians
2
: consisting wholly of vegetables
a vegetarian diet

Medical Definition

vegetarian

1 of 2 noun
veg·​e·​tar·​i·​an ˌvej-ə-ˈter-ē-ən How to pronounce vegetarian (audio)
: an individual who believes in or practices vegetarianism

vegetarian

2 of 2 adjective
1
: of or relating to vegetarians
2
: consisting wholly of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and sometimes eggs or dairy products
a vegetarian diet
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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