Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense vegetates, present participle vegetating, past tense, past participle vegetated
verb
If someone vegetates, they spend their time doing boring or worthless things.
He spends all his free time at home vegetating in front of the TV. [VERB]
Synonyms: stagnate, idle, loaf, exist More Synonyms of vegetate
More Synonyms of vegetate
vegetate in British English
(ˈvɛdʒɪˌteɪt)
verb(intransitive)
1.
to grow like a plant; sprout
2.
to lead a life characterized by monotony, passivity, or mental inactivity
3. pathology
(of a wart, polyp, etc) to develop fleshy outgrowths
Word origin
C17: from Late Latin vegetāre to invigorate
vegetate in American English
(ˈvɛdʒəˌteɪt)
verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈvegeˌtated or ˈvegeˌtating
1.
to grow as plants
2.
to exist with little mental and physical activity; lead a dull, inactive life
3. Medicine
to grow or increase in size, as a wart or other abnormal outgrowth does
Word origin
< L vegetatus, pp. of vegetare, to enliven < vegetus, lively < vegere, to quicken, wake1; senses vegetate (sense 1) & vegetate (sense 2) infl. by vegetable
Synonyms of 'vegetate'
stagnate, idle, loaf, exist
grow, shoot, spring, swell
More Synonyms of vegetate
1 (verb)
Definition
to live in a dull and boring way with no mental stimulation
He spends all his time vegetating in front of the TV.
Synonyms
stagnate
His career had stagnated.
idle
We spent many hours idling in cafés.
loaf
She studied, and I just loafed around.
exist
do nothing
deteriorate
languish
moulder
go to seed
be inert
veg out (slang)
Opposites
grow
,
develop
2 (verb)
Synonyms
grow
The station had roses growing at each end of the platform.
shoot
spring
The art springs from the country's Muslim heritage.
swell
The human population swelled as migrants moved south.
sprout
It only takes a few days for beans to sprout.
burgeon
the country's burgeoning software industry
germinate
Some seed varieties germinate very quickly.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of burgeon
Definition
to develop or grow rapidly
the country's burgeoning software industry
Synonyms
develop,
increase,
grow,
flower,
progress,
mature,
thrive,
flourish,
bloom,
bud,
blossom,
prosper
in the sense of germinate
Definition
to grow or cause to grow
Some seed varieties germinate very quickly.
Synonyms
sprout,
grow,
shoot,
develop,
generate,
swell,
bud,
vegetate,
pullulate
in the sense of idle
We spent many hours idling in cafés.
Synonyms
do nothing,
slack,
hang out (informal),
languish,
take it easy,
shirk,
stagnate,
mark time,
kill time,
skive (British, slang),
vegetate,
sit back and do nothing,
veg out (slang),
kick your heels,
bludge (Australian, New Zealand, informal),
slow down,
bob off (British, slang)
Nearby words of
vegetate
vaunted
veer
vegetable
vegetate
vegetation
vehemence
vehement
Synonyms of 'vegetate'
vegetate
Explore 'vegetate' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of loaf
Definition
to loiter or lounge around in an idle way
She studied, and I just loafed around.
Synonyms
idle,
hang around,
take it easy,
lie around,
loiter,
loll,
laze,
lounge around,
doss (British, slang),
veg out (slang),
be indolent
in the sense of shoot
Definition
(of a plant) to sprout (a new growth)
Synonyms
sprout,
bud,
burgeon,
germinate,
put forth new growth
in the sense of spring
Definition
to originate
The art springs from the country's Muslim heritage.
Synonyms
originate,
come,
derive,
start,
issue,
grow,
emerge,
proceed,
arise,
stem,
descend,
be derived,
emanate,
be descended
in the sense of sprout
Definition
(of a plant or seed) to produce (new leaves or shoots)
It only takes a few days for beans to sprout.
Synonyms
germinate,
bud,
shoot,
push,
spring,
vegetate
in the sense of swell
Definition
(of an emotion) to become more intense
The human population swelled as migrants moved south.