vegetarianism
B2Neutral to formal. Common in health, environmental, ethical, and lifestyle contexts.
Definition
Meaning
The practice of abstaining from eating meat, fish, and sometimes other animal products.
A lifestyle and ethical philosophy centered on a plant-based diet, often extended to opposing animal exploitation in other areas like clothing or cosmetics. It can include various subtypes (e.g., lacto-ovo vegetarianism, pescatarianism).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term is broad and covers a spectrum. It is distinct from veganism (which excludes all animal products) but is often used colloquially as an umbrella term.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning. The word is spelled identically.
Connotations
Slightly more mainstream and established in UK culture historically; in the US, it may more frequently be linked to contemporary health or environmental movements.
Frequency
Comparably frequent in both varieties, with a slight edge in UK corpus data due to longer institutional history of vegetarian societies.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] + advocates/practices + vegetarianism[Reason] + led + [Person] + to + vegetarianisma commitment to vegetarianismVocabulary
Synonyms
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “go veggie (informal)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in marketing for food products, restaurant menus, and sustainability reports.
Academic
Common in papers on nutrition, environmental science, ethics, and sociology.
Everyday
Used in conversations about diet, lifestyle choices, and food preferences.
Technical
Used in nutritional science to define specific dietary patterns for study cohorts.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- He decided to vegetarianise his diet last year.
- The chef can vegetarianise most dishes on request.
American English
- She vegetarianized her eating habits in college.
- They offer to vegetarianize any entree.
adverb
British English
- He eats vegetarianly most of the time, but makes exceptions.
American English
- She cooks vegetarianly, using only plant-based ingredients.
adjective
British English
- His vegetarianism principles are very important to him.
- A vegetarianism lifestyle has many benefits.
American English
- Her vegetarianism choices are mainly for health.
- The vegetarianism movement is growing.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Vegetarianism means not eating meat.
- My friend likes vegetarianism.
- She adopted vegetarianism for health reasons.
- Vegetarianism is becoming more popular in my city.
- His commitment to vegetarianism is rooted in both ethical and environmental concerns.
- The article explored the historical development of vegetarianism in Western society.
- While often conflated with veganism, traditional vegetarianism primarily entails abstention from flesh foods but may permit dairy and eggs.
- The socio-political implications of vegetarianism as a form of consumer activism were debated at the conference.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: VEGETABLE + ARIAN + ISM = the 'ism' (practice/philosophy) of primarily eating vegetables.
Conceptual Metaphor
A PATH ("on the path of vegetarianism"), A COMMITMENT ("a pledge to vegetarianism").
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Прямой перевод "вегетарианство" корректен. Ложный друг — "vegetarian" не означает "вегетативный" (это vegetative).
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling: 'vegetarianisim', 'vegetarinism'. Incorrect use: 'I am a vegetarianism' (should be 'I practice vegetarianism' or 'I am a vegetarian').
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is NOT typically associated with vegetarianism?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Vegetarianism typically excludes meat, fish, and poultry but may include dairy and eggs. Veganism excludes all animal-derived products, including dairy, eggs, honey, and materials like leather.
No, traditional vegetarianism does not include fish. People who eat fish but not other meats are usually called pescatarians.
A well-planned vegetarian diet can be healthy and nutritionally adequate, but it requires attention to nutrients like iron, vitamin B12, and protein.
The term was coined in the mid-19th century, around the 1840s, with the founding of the first Vegetarian Society in England.