vegetative

[ vej-i-tey-tiv ]
See synonyms for vegetative on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. growing or developing as or like plants; vegetating.

  2. of, relating to, or concerned with vegetation or vegetable growth.

  1. of or relating to the plant kingdom.

  2. noting the parts of a plant not specialized for reproduction.

  3. (of reproduction) asexual.

  4. denoting or pertaining to those bodily functions that are performed unconsciously or involuntarily.

  5. having the power to produce or support growth in plants: vegetative mold.

  6. characterized by a lack of activity; inactive; passive: a vegetative state.

Origin of vegetative

1
1350–1400; Middle English vegetatyf<Medieval Latin vegetātīvus.See vegetate, -ive
  • Also veg·e·tive [vej-i-tiv]. /ˈvɛdʒ ɪ tɪv/.

Other words from vegetative

  • veg·e·ta·tive·ly, adverb
  • veg·e·ta·tive·ness, noun
  • non·veg·e·ta·tive, adjective
  • non·veg·e·ta·tive·ly, adverb
  • non·veg·e·ta·tive·ness, noun
  • non·veg·e·tive, adjective

Words Nearby vegetative

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

How to use vegetative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vegetative

vegetative

/ (ˈvɛdʒɪtətɪv) /


adjective
  1. of, relating to, or denoting the nonreproductive parts of a plant, i.e. the stems, leaves, and roots, or growth that does not involve the reproductive parts

  2. (of reproduction) characterized by asexual processes

  1. of or relating to functions such as digestion, growth, and circulation rather than sexual reproduction

  2. (of a style of living) dull, stagnant, unthinking, or passive

Derived forms of vegetative

  • vegetatively, adverb
  • vegetativeness, noun

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

Scientific definitions for vegetative

vegetative

[ vĕjĭ-tā′tĭv ]


  1. Relating to or characteristic of plants or their growth.

  2. Relating to vegetative reproduction.

  1. Relating to feeding and growth rather than reproduction, as in the mobile phase of plasmodial slime molds.

  2. Relating to an impaired level of brain function in which a person responds reflexively to certain sensory stimuli but demonstrates no cognitive function.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.