vitamin A

noun

: any of several fat-soluble vitamins (such as retinol) that are found especially in green or orange vegetables (such as carrots or spinach) and in animal products (such as egg yolk, butter, or liver) and whose deficiency in the animal body causes epithelial tissues to become keratinous (as in the eye with resulting visual defects)

Examples of vitamin A in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Its Crystal Retinal, marked down to just $45 this Cyber Monday, is powered by a vitamin A derivative known to be less irritating than retinol. —Jenny Berg, Vogue, 27 Nov. 2023

Four years ago, while skimming her Instagram feed, Fawzia Khan happened upon an ad for Dear Brightly, an online platform that sells prescription retinoids, a derivative of vitamin A that’s used topically to fight acne and aging skin, and available through doctors. —Tatiana Boncompagni, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023

Additionally, yogurt has vitamin A and anti-inflammatory properties. —Cynthia Sass, Mph, Rd, Health, 31 Oct. 2023

Saturday Skin Deals The beloved Saturday Skin's Yuzu Vitamin C Sleep Mask gracefully combines the famously not-so-combinable vitamin C (hi, yuzu fruit) and vitamin A into a safe, seriously effective, refining formula. —Sarah Han, Allure, 26 Oct. 2023

These polymer disks go above and beyond with the addition of calming aloe vera leaf extract to reduce visually irritated marks and vitamin A (aka retinol) to prevent future ones. —Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 26 Oct. 2023

For example, vitamin A may decrease the function of warfarin, a blood thinner. —Amanda MacMillan, Health, 28 Sep. 2023

Beta-carotene converts into vitamin A and plays a role in growth and healthy vision. —Stephanie Karpinske, Parents, 17 Aug. 2023

Buy Now on Sephora: $32 Retinoids: Retinoids (often called retinol) are vitamin A derivatives that are common in anti-aging and anti-acne regimens. —Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 17 Aug. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

circa 1920, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

vitamin A

noun

: any of several vitamins or a mixture of them that are found especially in green and orange vegetables (as carrots or spinach) and animal products (as egg yolk, butter, or liver) and are needed especially for good vision

Medical Definition

vitamin A

noun

: any of several fat-soluble vitamins or a mixture of two or more of them whose lack in the animal body causes keratinization of epithelial tissues (as in the eye with resulting night blindness and xerophthalmia): as

a

: a pale yellow crystalline highly unsaturated alicyclic alcohol C₂₀H₂₉OH that is found in animal products (as egg yolk, milk, and butter) and especially in marine fish-liver oils (as of cod, halibut, and shark) and that is used in various forms in medicine and nutrition

called also retinol, vitamin A₁

b

: a yellow viscous liquid alicyclic alcohol C₂₀H₂₇OH that contains one more double bond in a molecule than vitamin A₁ and is less active biologically in mammals and that occurs especially in the liver oil of freshwater fish

called also vitamin A₂