vegetarian

American  

[vej-i-tair-ee-uhn] / ˌvɛdʒ ɪˈtɛər i ən /

noun

• vegetarians
  plural

1. a person who does not eat or does not believe in eating meat, fish, fowl, or, in some cases, any food derived from animals, as eggs or cheese, but subsists on vegetables, fruits, nuts, grain, etc.

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adjective

1. of or relating to vegetarianism or vegetarians.

2. devoted to or advocating this practice.

3. consisting solely of vegetables.

   vegetarian vegetable soup.

vegetarian British  

/ ˌvɛdʒɪˈtɛərɪən /

noun

1. a person who advocates or practises vegetarianism

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adjective

1. relating to, advocating, or practising vegetarianism

2. cookery strictly, consisting of vegetables and fruit only, but usually including milk, cheese, eggs, etc

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonvegetarian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• vegetarians
  plural

Etymology

Origin of vegetarian

First recorded in 1835–45; veget(able) + -arian

Explanation

A vegetarian is someone who doesn't eat any meat, including fish. Many vegetarians eat plenty of fruits and vegetables — but others subsist on pizza and mac and cheese. This is a word that has to do with diet — what people eat. Vegetarians avoid meat, usually for health reasons, for environmental reasons, or because they believe it's wrong to kill animals for food. Vegetarians will eat some animal products, like eggs and dairy, but vegans won't. Both vegetarian and vegan diets are becoming more common. Many animals are vegetarians, including our close relative, the gorilla.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vegetarian vegetarians

Families are given a free vegetarian meal as well as groceries to take home.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Nance, a lawyer who regularly posts pictures of his favorite meat dishes on Instagram, is definitely in a minority in a heavily vegetarian movement, but says it's worth campaigning for.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

“I’m starting to venture into a lot of vegetarian cooking,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

In practice, though, the museum friends and the beach friends are forming opposing factions, and the vegetarian friend is hovering between malnourishment and total banishment.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026

Celia and Mom don’t eat meat anymore, and I’m mostly vegetarian, too, but Mom knows I have a soft spot for hot dogs.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

For vegetarians, you can get your protein from lentils, nuts, milk, tofu and cheese too.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

People at higher risk, including vegans, vegetarians, older adults and those taking medicines that affect stomach acid or diabetes treatment, may need testing or supplementation advice from a health professional.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026

In the same vein, if you have a decent number of vegetarians joining you, put together a separate fund for protein.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026

They’re vegetarians: They eat grass, alfalfa, cassava, sweet potato, carrots, beets, and, at the zoo, a commercial feed.

From Slate ● May 27, 2026

“Like there are no Muslim vegetarians in the world.”

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali