Meanings
- USuncountableThe practice of eating mainly vegetarian food, but making occasional exceptions for social, pragmatic, cultural, or nutritional reasons.
Synonyms: semi-vegetarianism
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe practice of eating mainly vegetarian food, but making occasional exceptions for social, pragmatic, cultural, or nutritional reasons.
More synonyms by meaning
nounThe practice of eating mainly vegetarian food, but making occasional exceptions for social, pragmatic, cultural, or nutritional reasons.
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
A combination of flexible + vegetarian + -ism. The earliest known use of the term occurred in the October 17, 1992, issue of the Austin American-Statesman, article by Linda Anthony, Acorn serves up 'flexitarian fare'.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French flexitarisme
- flexitarismeThe practice of eating mainly vegetarian with exceptions
Polish fleksitarianizm, semiwegetarianizm
- fleksitarianizmThe practice of eating mainly vegetarian with exceptions
- semiwegetarianizmThe practice of eating mainly vegetarian with exceptions
Spanish flexitarianismo
- flexitarianismoThe practice of eating mainly vegetarian with exceptions
Cite this entry
flexitarianism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flexitarianism
“flexitarianism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flexitarianism. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “flexitarianism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flexitarianism.
Source: flexitarianism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.