- 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
- (of reproduction) characterized by asexual processes
- of or relating to functions such as digestion, growth, and circulation rather than sexual reproduction
- (of a style of living) dull, stagnant, unthinking, or passive
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
veg•e•ta•tive
(vej′i tā′tiv),USA pronunciation adj.
veg′e•ta′tive•ly, adv.
veg′e•ta′tive•ness, n.
- Botanygrowing or developing as or like plants; vegetating.
- Botanyof, pertaining to, or concerned with vegetation or vegetable growth.
- Botanyof or pertaining to the plant kingdom.
- Botanynoting the parts of a plant not specialized for reproduction.
- (of reproduction) asexual.
- denoting or pertaining to those bodily functions that are performed unconsciously or involuntarily.
- having the power to produce or support growth in plants:vegetative mold.
- Developmental Biologycharacterized by a lack of activity;
inactive;
passive:a vegetative state.
- Medieval Latin vegetātīvus. See vegetate, -ive
- Middle English vegetatyf 1350–1400
veg′e•ta′tive•ness, n.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
vegetative /ˈvɛdʒɪtətɪv/ adj
veg•e•tate /ˈvɛdʒɪˌteɪt/USA pronunciation
v. [no object], -tat•ed, -tat•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to grow as or like a plant.
- to lead an inactive life without much physical, mental, or social activity.
veg•e•tate
(vej′i tāt′),USA pronunciation v.i., -tat•ed, -tat•ing.
- to grow in, or as in, the manner of a plant.
- to be passive or unthinking;
to do nothing:to lie on the beach and vegetate. - Pathologyto grow, or increase by growth, as an excrescence.
- Latin vegetātus (past participle of vegetāre to quicken, enliven), equivalent. to veget(us) lively (origin, originally past participle of vegēre to give vigor) + -ātus -ate1
- 1595–1605
'vegetative' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Adonis
- asexual
- biennial
- bulb
- bulbil
- corm
- cutting
- guerrilla
- mycelium
- persistent vegetative state
- phalanx
- PVS
- thallus
- tuber
- vegetal
- vegetation
- arthrospore
- bog hole
- chamaephyte
- cuttage
- erysipelas
- growing point
- hemiplankton
- sclerotium
- soredium
- sterilization