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

Vegetarian children were found to consume higher amounts of fiber, iron, folate, vitamin C, and magnesium than omnivorous children.

From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2025

Onion-sweet and given depth from the liberal use of mushrooms, the Vegetarian Chopped Liver won raves at a recent Yom Kippur break fast.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

The 53-year-old fiction writer is a former winner of the Man Booker International Prize for her 2007 novel The Vegetarian.

From BBC • Oct. 10, 2024

Meat, on the other hand, is “associated with physical strength and masculinity,” said Adam Shprintzen, author of “The Vegetarian Crusade,” which chronicles the history of vegetarianism in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 13, 2024

When I saw the Great Crusader and Vegetarian digging in, I said, “You’re eating meat.”

From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli