flexitarian

[ flek-si-tair-ee-uhn ]

noun

1. a person whose diet is mostly vegetarian but sometimes includes meat, fish, or poultry.

adjective

1. of or relating to flexitarians or their diet:

   a flexitarian cookbook.

flexitarian

/ ˌflɛksɪˈtɛərɪən /

noun

1. a person who eats a predominantly vegetarian diet, but who eats meat or fish occasionally

adjective

1. of or relating to a flexitarian

   flexitarian fare

Derived Forms

• ˌflexiˈtarianˌism, noun

Other Words From

• flexi·tari·an·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of flexitarian¹

First recorded in 1990–95; flexi(ble) + (vege)tarian

Word History and Origins

Origin of flexitarian¹

C21: from flexi ( ble ) + ( vege ) tarian

Example Sentences

Neutral terms like “semi-vegetarian,” “mostly vegetarian,” and “flexitarian” didn’t quite cut it because they were, in Kateman’s words, “static,” and did not propel further efforts to reduce meat, ideally to zero.

From Time

The panel estimates that a flexitarian diet — reducing meat and dairy consumption by 75 percent — could cut emissions by 5 billion tons.

From Science News

The guide is written to help anyone on the less-meat spectrum, from aspiring flexitarians to full-on vegans.

From Vox

Whether you’re a vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, flexitarian, so something completely different, you might think a lot about how the foods you eat alter the planet.

From Popular-Science

Today, broader concerns about the environment and health are energizing millennials and Gen Z globally to embrace flexitarian lifestyles, where animal products are purged from diets at least some of the time.

From Time