dietary

American  

[dahy-i-ter-ee] / ˈdaɪ ɪˌtɛr i /

adjective

1. of or relating to diet.

   a dietary cure.

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noun

plural

dietaries

1. a regulated allowance of food.

2. Obsolete. a system or course of diet.

dietary British  

/ ˈdaɪətərɪ, -trɪ /

adjective

1. of or relating to a diet

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noun

1. a regulated diet

2. a system of dieting

Other Word Forms

• dietarily adverb
• predietary adjective

Etymology

Origin of dietary

1400–50; late Middle English dietarie system of diet. See diet ¹, -ary

Example Sentences

The Food Standards Agency advises people with an allergy visiting a restaurant to be upfront with the eatery and make sure it is able to make the changes to suit any dietary needs.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Three staple crops – corn, wheat and rice – supply more than half of the world’s dietary calories.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

The findings could help doctors give clearer dietary guidance to patients.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

The organization released new nutrition guidance that advises getting protein from plants rather than meat, contradicting dietary guidelines from the health secretary.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Normally, I was thrilled to get pizza—it was pretty much the best dietary indiscretion ever—but I could feel Dad watching me at every bite, flaring his nostrils.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram