herbivorous

American  

[hur-biv-er-uhs, ur-] / hɜrˈbɪv ər əs, ɜr- /

adjective

1. feeding on plants.

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herbivorous British  

/ hɜːˈbɪvərəs /

adjective

1. (of animals) feeding on grass and other plants

2. informal liberal, idealistic, or nonmaterialistic

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Other Word Forms

• herbivority noun
• herbivorously adverb
• herbivorousness noun

Etymology

Origin of herbivorous

1655–65; < New Latin herbivorus; herb, -i-, -vorous

Explanation

A buffalo, a goose, a grasshopper, and a stegosaurus sit down to eat dinner. This isn’t a joke, it’s an example of herbivorous creatures who exist on a diet of plant life only. Herbivorous comes from the Latin word herba, which means “green plants,” and that’s what herbivorous animals eat all the time: grass, leaves, and other plants. Some massive and strong animals actually have peaceful herbivorous eating habits, like gorillas and hippopotamuses. The opposite of herbivorous is carnivorous, which describes meat-eating beasts like lions, sharks, crocodiles, and your uncle Marvin who eats nothing but steak all day long.

Example Sentences

The region hosts the world's second-largest population of dugongs -- herbivorous marine mammals known as "sea cows" that are listed as vulnerable -- with an estimated 5,000 to 7,500 individuals.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

Therizinosaurs were a group of either herbivorous or omnivorous theropod dinosaurs that lived in Asia and North America during the Cretaceous Period, which began 145 million years ago and ended 66 million years ago.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2025

However, the island is also home to an abundance of mostly herbivorous mammals big enough to crush a snake, including deer, pigs, sheep, cows, goats, and humans.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 3, 2024

University of Sydney researchers have shown it is possible to shield plants from the hungry maws of herbivorous mammals by fooling them with the smell of a variety they typically avoid.

From Science Daily • Feb. 2, 2024

That plant carbon goes on to form the body of the herbivorous animals that eat the plants, and of the carnivorous animals that eat those herbivorous animals.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond