vegetate
vegetating; vegetated; vegetates
When plants vegetate, they spread. When people vegetate, they relax. After a long day, if you want to vegetate or exert no effort in your body or mind, try sitting in front of the TV for hours.
The word vegetate has opposite meanings depending on whether you're talking about plants or people. When vegetables vegetate, they proliferate or spread really quickly. When a person vegetates, he remains completely idle. A person in a vegetative state is not able to function, only to vegetate or remain completely inactive.
-
produce vegetation“The fields vegetate vigorously”
-
type of:
-
grow
increase in size by natural process
-
grow
-
establish vegetation on“They vegetated the hills behind their house”
-
type of:
-
grow
cause to grow or develop
-
grow
-
grow like a plant“This fungus usually vegetates vigorously”
-
type of:
-
grow
increase in size by natural process
-
grow
-
grow or spread abnormally“warts and polyps can vegetate if not removed”
-
type of:
-
grow
become larger, greater, or bigger; expand or gain
-
grow
-
propagate asexually“The bacterial growth vegetated along”
-
type of:
-
propagate
multiply sexually or asexually
-
propagate
-
lead a passive existence without using one's body or mind
-
type of:
-
live
lead a certain kind of life; live in a certain style
-
live
-
engage in passive relaxation
Vocabulary lists containing vegetate
When Milo comes across a book about achieving perfection, he decides to follow the book's advice — with hilarious results.
Beginning with a Latin epigraph that means "They gave up all to serve the republic," Lowell's poem moves through several settings and time periods as it reflects on the legacy of the American Civil War. Read the poem here.
Freak the Mighty tells the story of an unlikely friendship between an awkward, lumbering outcast and a physically challenged genius. Together, the two boys become a force for good.
Look up vegetate for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
