pescatarian
Americannoun
-
pescatarians
plural
adjective
Usage
What does pescatarian mean? A pescatarian is someone whose diet is vegetarian but who also eats fish and seafood. Pescatarian can also be used as an adjective describing such a diet. A vegetarian is someone who eats a meatless diet that is often primarily based on vegetables. Following a pescatarian diet is called pescatarianism, and it is thought to offer many health benefits. Pescatarian is sometimes spelled pescetarian. Example: I’m trying to cut out meat and go vegetarian, so for now I’m going to be pescatarian.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pescatarian
1990–95; probably from Italian pesce fish (from Latin piscis ) + (vege)tarian ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Occasionally, we’ll make something pescatarian like grilled salmon or other fish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2025
For most of my adult life I'd dabbled with pescatarian and vegetarian diets, but they never fully stuck.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2023
I am a 52-year-old pescatarian runner who eats a Mediterranean diet.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 6, 2023
Aligned on a passion for fresh vegetables — Ms. Parnell is vegetarian; Ms. Hardy is pescatarian — they shared many dinners cooked at home by Ms. Hardy, during which they would counsel each other.
From New York Times ● Feb. 11, 2022
Matthews, a pescatarian, lavishes just as much attention on seafood and vegetables.
From Washington Post
A recent study involving 48,000 people over 18 years compared the health of meat-eaters, pescatarians - who eat fish and dairy but not meat - and vegetarians, including some vegans.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2020
They’re more than twice as likely to classify themselves as vegetarians, vegans or pescatarians than their Gen X or Boomer parents, according to a survey by Bloomberg News and Morning Consult.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2019
Because they’re strict pescatarians, other bird species don’t avoid the nest the way they tended to when owls were there.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 4, 2018
“It’s the difference between the Bay Area and the Midwest. Vegans, vegetarians, fruitarians, pescatarians — we have it all here.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 9, 2017
For vegetarians or pescatarians, the menu in many McDonald’s restaurants across China is suddenly looking very friendly.
From New York Times ● Jul. 29, 2014
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
