vegetative
Americanadjective
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growing or developing as or like plants; vegetating.
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of, relating to, or concerned with vegetation or vegetable growth.
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of or relating to the plant kingdom.
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noting the parts of a plant not specialized for reproduction.
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(of reproduction) asexual.
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denoting or pertaining to those bodily functions that are performed unconsciously or involuntarily.
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having the power to produce or support growth in plants.
vegetative mold.
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characterized by a lack of activity; inactive; passive.
a vegetative state.
adjective
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of, relating to, or denoting the nonreproductive parts of a plant, i.e. the stems, leaves, and roots, or growth that does not involve the reproductive parts
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(of reproduction) characterized by asexual processes
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of or relating to functions such as digestion, growth, and circulation rather than sexual reproduction
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(of a style of living) dull, stagnant, unthinking, or passive
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Relating to or characteristic of plants or their growth.
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Relating to vegetative reproduction.
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Relating to feeding and growth rather than reproduction, as in the mobile phase of plasmodial slime molds.
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Relating to an impaired level of brain function in which a person responds reflexively to certain sensory stimuli but demonstrates no cognitive function.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vegetative
1350–1400; Middle English vegetatyf < Medieval Latin vegetātīvus. See vegetate, -ive
Explanation
Use the adjective vegetative to describe a physically or mentally inactive person. If you lie around on the couch all day flipping TV channels, your sister may accuse you of being in a vegetative state. Watching television can be a vegetative activity, because certain shows require little thinking on the part of the viewer. Someone describing a vegetative state is either talking about a lazy friend, or — more seriously — a patient whose brain is damaged, leaving him unable to move, speak, or think. The original meanings of the word had more to do with growth than inactivity, but by the late 1800's doctors began using vegetative to describe patients who resembled vegetables rather than moving, thinking humans.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a landmark ruling, India's Supreme Court has allowed the removal of life support of a 31-year-old man who has been in a vegetative state for more than a decade.
From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026
In its vegetative state, the plot quickly becomes inert and frustrating, spinning its wheels in ways you never thought wheels could spin.
From Salon • Jan. 25, 2026
After life support was withdrawn, autopsies confirmed that she was indeed in a “persistent vegetative state.”
From Slate • Dec. 8, 2025
Army Corps of Engineers began using just over 3 acres at Sarah’s Point, an area south of Will Rogers’ polo field, to process vegetative debris and concrete from the burn zone.
From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2025
If you were to ask me how I performed in school the day after my round-robin bus rides, I would have to say that there was not much difference between my vegetative state and Nikki’s.
From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
