vegetation

American  

[vej-i-tey-shuhn] / ˌvɛdʒ ɪˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

vegetations plural

1. all the plants or plant life of a place, taken as a whole.

   the vegetation of the Nile valley.

2. the act or process of vegetating.

3. a dull existence; life devoid of mental or social activity.

   Synonyms:

   lethargy, sloth, idleness, inactivity

4. Pathology. a morbid growth, or excrescence.

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vegetation British  

/ ˌvɛdʒɪˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. plant life as a whole, esp the plant life of a particular region

2. the process of vegetating

3. pathol any abnormal growth, excrescence, etc

4. a vegetative existence

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vegetation Scientific  

/ vĕj′ĭ-tā′shən /

1. The plants of an area or a region; plant life.

2. An abnormal bodily accretion, especially a clot composed largely of fused blood platelets, fibrin, and sometimes bacteria, that adheres to a diseased heart valve.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonvegetation
  noun
• prevegetation
  noun
• undervegetation
  noun
• vegetational
  adjective
• vegetationless
  adjective
• vegetatious
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• vegetations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of vegetation

1555–65; < Medieval Latin vegetātiōn- (stem of vegetātiō ), equivalent to vegetāt- ( see vegetate) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Use the word vegetation to refer to all plants and trees collectively, typically those in a specific region. The vegetation in your backyard might look very lush and green in the springtime, unless you forget to water it. Vegetation, as well as meaning all plant growth, can refer to the growth process of a plant. The lettuce you planted a couple weeks ago is at an early stage of vegetation. Vegetation can also apply to people — or at least to those in a state of inactivity. Think about how slowly plants grow. It’s the same for a person who’s in a state of vegetation. You may sometimes enjoy the mindless vegetation of doing nothing at all.

Example Sentences

They are kept in a converted cattle barn, which has metal-fenced elevated walkways looking down on large pools of water surrounded by tropical vegetation.

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026

In addition, the authors say selective use of photographs and the omission of potentially important factors, including human hunting, made it harder to determine what was truly driving changes in vegetation.

From Science Daily • Jun. 14, 2026

"Abandonment wasn't because the site became ecologically unsuitable in any absolute sense. Bison were still around, vegetation hadn't changed, and there was no substantive shift in fire activities," Wendt pointed out.

From Science Daily • Jun. 11, 2026

The drones are equipped with thermal cameras , and can follow bears through dense vegetation until hunters or police arrive.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

Almost wholly unexcavated since its discovery, the Calakmul we came to lay swathed in dry, scrubby vegetation that crawled like a swarm of thorns up its two huge pyramids.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• flora
• greenery