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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 vegan in a Sentence
Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 27 Mar. 2026
Freshly prepared vegetarian and vegan food will be available as well as American foods and drinks.
—Annie Alleman, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
The vegan restaurant chain Cole launched in Atlanta in 2018 includes a Fort Greene, Brooklyn eatery that opened in September 2022.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
The new space was previously Maiden, a fine-dining vegan restaurant, that closed in the summer of 2025.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vegan
Cite this Entry
“Vegan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vegan. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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vegan
noun
Medical Definition
vegan
noun
-ˌan
