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

See Examples For:

vegetation vegetations

Wildfires are raging across southwestern Europe after prolonged, record-setting heat waves and low rainfall effectively turned the region’s vegetation into kindling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Their thick bark and elevated canopies offer protection, while smaller fires clear vegetation, recycle nutrients, and create conditions that help new sequoias grow.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

As a result, fallow fields are in a "deplorable state, and at the slightest spark, the blaze spreads like wildfire" due to vegetation dried out by the heat.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

A woman testified that she saw Stout get out of the flaming car and push it over the dirt mound, where it rolled down the embankment and ignited the dry vegetation at the bottom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

We stood among the decaying, rotting vegetation and faced our enemies.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

But because the wetlands are destroyed, vegetations are destroyed, the little water bodies are now being encroached upon.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 17, 2021

Largemouth bass are fair on plastic worms and spinners moving just a bit shallower on warm days feeding near vegetations.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 13, 2021

Black bass are good with vegetations early on topwater, but overall the afternoon is when you want to be fishing.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 18, 2020

Black bass are good with rocks, vegetations, and drops.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 11, 2020

Clothes never dried: tweed and woolen coats housed living things, sometimes sprouted mysterious vegetations.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

Related Words

• flora
• greenery