vegetarian

[ vej-i-tair-ee-uhn ]
See synonyms for vegetarian on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who does not eat or does not believe in eating meat, fish, fowl, or, in some cases, any food derived from animals, as eggs or cheese, but subsists on vegetables, fruits, nuts, grain, etc.

adjective
  1. of or relating to vegetarianism or vegetarians.

  2. devoted to or advocating this practice.

  1. consisting solely of vegetables: vegetarian vegetable soup.

Origin of vegetarian

1
First recorded in 1835–45; veget(able) + -arian

Other words from vegetarian

  • non·veg·e·tar·i·an, adjective, noun

Words that may be confused with vegetarian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use vegetarian in a sentence

  • Some of them even are vegetarians—which is rare among fish—and their gills are smaller and stouter.

    The Boy With the U. S. Fisheries | Francis Rolt-Wheeler
  • It is on a par with the verdict which would be given by vegetarians in favour of a vegetable diet.

  • Some of them—sure that they should not eat meat—are strenuous vegetarians.

    Psychotherapy | James J. Walsh
  • If patients get on well as vegetarians, meat is gradually eliminated from their diet.

    Psychotherapy | James J. Walsh
  • We have all voted to turn vegetarians after this, just to order your crops, Natalie.

    Natalie: A Garden Scout | Lillian Elizabeth Roy

British Dictionary definitions for vegetarian

vegetarian

/ (ˌvɛdʒɪˈtɛərɪən) /


noun
  1. a person who advocates or practises vegetarianism

adjective
  1. relating to, advocating, or practising vegetarianism

  2. cookery strictly, consisting of vegetables and fruit only, but usually including milk, cheese, eggs, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012