vegetate
/'vedʤiteit/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To live or grow in a manner similar to a plant: To exist with minimal mental or physical activity, often implying a dull, passive, or uneventful life.
- To grow or sprout as a plant does: In biology, to propagate or develop vegetatively.
Usage and Examples
- Verb (To live passively):
- After retiring, he just wanted to vegetate in his armchair all day.
- I don't want to vegetate this weekend; let's go out and do something.
- Verb (Biology: to grow):
- The cuttings will vegetate quickly in this moist soil.
- Some plants vegetate through runners rather than seeds.
Advanced Usage
- "to vegetate on/upon something": To exist in a passive state, often in a specific place or while doing a specific inactive thing.
- He spent the summer vegetating on the couch, watching old movies.
- Used figuratively to describe a state of mental stagnation.
- Without new challenges, her mind began to vegetate.
Variants and Related Words
- Vegetation (n): Plants in general, or the process of plant growth.
- The lush vegetation of the rainforest.
- Vegetative (adj):
- Relating to plant growth or non-reproductive parts.
- Vegetative propagation.
- (Of a person) Alive but in a state of minimal brain function or consciousness.
- A vegetative state.
Synonyms
- Idle: To spend time doing nothing.
- Stagnate: To cease developing or being active.
- Languish: To lose or lack vitality; to grow weak.
Antonyms
- Thrive: To grow or develop vigorously.
- Flourish: To be successful or very active.
- Engage: To participate or become involved in.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- To live a vegetative existence: To lead a life devoid of intellectual or physical activity.
- He was living a vegetative existence, with no hobbies or social contact.
Verb
- engage in passive relaxation
- After a hard day's work, I vegetate in front of the television
- propagate asexually
- The bacterial growth vegetated along
- grow or spread abnormally
- warts and polyps can vegetate if not removed
- grow like a plant
- This fungus usually vegetates vigorously
- produce vegetation
- The fields vegetate vigorously
- establish vegetation on
- They vegetated the hills behind their house
- lead a passive existence without using one's body or mind