flexitarian

American  

[flek-si-tair-ee-uhn] / ˌflɛk sɪˈtɛər i ən /

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 British  

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• flexitarianism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of flexitarian

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

Example Sentences

“With a constant increase in the number of French people adopting a vegetarian or flexitarian diet, McDonald’s is responding to changing eating habits,” McDonald’s said in a press release.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2024

Professor Mouritsen believes that flexitarian diets are a more viable option than today's focus on replicating meat products using plants:

From Science Daily • Apr. 29, 2024

We found that over 100,000 premature deaths could be prevented globally by adopting flexitarian diets.

From Salon • Jan. 2, 2024

Adopting a "flexitarian" diet would also allow us to move away from factory farming with its low animal welfare standards, says Peter Stevenson, chief policy adviser to the charity Compassion in World Farming.

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2021

A half-century later, folks like Konig and Nathan Anda, the chef and mastermind behind Red Apron Butchery, see red meat as part of a flexitarian diet that includes lots of vegetables.

From Washington Post • Aug. 17, 2021