vegetarianism

noun

veg·e·tar·i·an·ism | \ ˌve-jə-ˈter-ē-ə-ˌni-zəm

Definition of vegetarianism

: the theory or practice of living on a vegetarian diet

The Difference Between Vegetarian, Vegan, and Other Diets Example Sentences Learn More about vegetarianism

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The Difference Between Vegetarian, Vegan, and Other Diets

The word vegetarian sprouted up in 1839. Fruitarian ("a person who lives on fruit") ripened by 1893. In 1944, vegetarians who consume no animal or dairy products began calling themselves vegans. Then, in 1993, those who eat fish but no other meat chose pesce, the Italian word for "fish," to create the designation pescatarian. In that same year, meatatarian was served up as a word for those whose diet largely includes meat; that word is rare, however, and is usually used in informal and humorous ways, making it the type of fare not included in our dictionaries. Another fairly recent dietary word is flexitarian, a person who follows a mostly vegetarian diet but occasionally eats meat or fish.

Examples of vegetarianism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Vegetarian Resource Group is a non-profit organization, based in Baltimore, that produces journals and cookbooks to educate the public on vegan and vegetarianism. — Oyin Adedoyin, baltimoresun.com, "Black Vegetarian Society of Maryland keeps it green and delicious," 24 June 2019 Also, go online and start researching vegetarianism. — Dear Abby, oregonlive.com, "Dear Abby: Teen wants to be a vegetarian but her diet isn’t her biggest issue," 3 Aug. 2019 In those Northern European countries, vegetarianism is more entrenched, as consumers shun meat due to high prices and concerns about climate change. — Grace Dobush, Fortune, "McDonald's New Meatless Burger Is Aimed at a Different Kind of Eater: The Part-Time Vegan," 6 June 2019 Videos about vegetarianism led to videos about veganism. — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "The 9 thinkers who made sense of 2018’s chaos," 27 Dec. 2018 Through the sharing of new ideas the ancients identified the atom, measured the circumference of the earth, grasped the environmental benefits of vegetarianism. — Bettany Hughes, New York Times, "How Christians Destroyed the Ancient World," 8 June 2018 Stepkin said people come to vegetarianism for reasons that include better health, caring for animals, environmental concerns or even spiritual reasons. — Graydon Megan, chicagotribune.com, "Paul Obis, who started Vegetarian Times magazine, dies," 6 July 2018 While veganism and vegetarianism are practiced by a small minority in France - only 3 percent of the population identifies as vegetarian, reported The Local in 2016 - vegan activists have had several public run-ins with the law in recent months. — Rebecca Tan, BostonGlobe.com, "France’s butchers fear the wrath of ‘militant vegans’," 28 June 2018 On high school and college campuses, vegetarianism and veganism is an aspirational identity and has a political force behind it. — Amy Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, "‘Eating Animals’ documentary bites into meat industry," 24 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vegetarianism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for vegetarianism

vegetarianism

noun

veg·e·tar·i·an·ism | \ -ē-ə-ˌniz-əm

Medical Definition of vegetarianism

: the theory or practice of living on a vegetarian diet

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vegetarianism

Definition of vegetarianism

The Difference Between Vegetarian, Vegan, and Other Diets

Examples of vegetarianism in a Sentence

First Known Use of vegetarianism

Medical Definition of vegetarianism

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