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vegetarian

vegetarian

116 1.9
A person who does not eat meat or fish and mainly eats plants
  • noun
  • /ˌvɛdʒɪˈtɛəriən/
translation icon : vegetariano
  • Then the third group were were vegetarians who would only occasionally eat eggs or dairy.
  • become a vegetarian
  • vegetarians eat
  • vegetarians and meat

And I'm a vegetarian and have been for many years.

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Examples

  • And I'm sorry, there is no excuse to not accommodate a vegetarian or a vegan.

  • Many restaurants now offer options for vegetarians to cater to their dietary choices.

  • And I'm a vegetarian and have been for many years.

  • Arthur has suddenly decided he should be a vegetarian; he says it's better for his health.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • I had learned from reading and from watching my dad that being a vegetarian was a healthy lifestyle choice.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Britain currently has the highest percentage of vegetarians in Europe, about five percent of the population.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Well, Dave, yeah, it's true, I am a vegetarian.

  • Finally, it is not surprising that vegetarians are few in the Great Plains.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Diane: Well, that's just what we need on a cattle ranch -- a vegetarian from New York.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Now that I'm a vegetarian, I want to condemn meat eaters worldwide.

Synonyms

herbivore
vsvegetarian
  • Informal
1 3.4

A person who eats mostly plants and avoids meat

is the neutral, standard term used for this dietary choice
bean eater
vsvegetarian
1 6.9

A person who eats mostly plants and simple foods without meat

refers specifically to avoiding meat and fish rather than frugality

Antonyms

carnivore
  • Neologism
5 4.2

A person who eats mostly meat and other animal foods

How Plant-Based

vegan
30 3.0
vegetarian
116 1.9
piscivorous
  • Specialized
9.9
meat-eating
3 2.1

Surface Forms

vegetarian singular
vegetarians plural

Morphology

vegetarian = vegetable (transparent) = vegetable + arian

The noun denotes a person associated with plant-based eating and is transparently derived via the suffix '-arian' from 'vegetable'.

Etymology

Vegetarian for a person also comes from vegetable ('plant') and the ending -arian for a person or kind. So a vegetarian is someone who chooses to eat plants and avoids meat, and sometimes other animal foods.