vegetable

/ˈvedʒtəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈvedʒtəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈvej-tə-bəl ˈve-jə-, ˈvech-/ (ame, mw) · /ˈvedʒ.tə.bəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈvedʒ.tə.bəl/ (ame, ipa)

vegetable — noun

  • vegetablesingular
  • vegetablesplural

1. any root, leaf, stem, or other plant part that people eat cooked or raw in a mai

1.名詞A2
釋義

any root, leaf, stem, or other plant part that people eat cooked or raw in a main course rather than as a sweet dish

例句

Owen chopped some carrots and onions and added them to the soup pot.

plural form: vegetables as ingredients in cooking

Every Tuesday, Yael buys fresh vegetables from the stall near the station.

collocation: fresh vegetables

同義詞
  • produce

    broader term covering both fruits and vegetables, used especially for fresh items at a market

  • greens

    informal term focused on leafy green vegetables like lettuce or cabbage

  • veggie

    informal shortening, very common in everyday British conversation

反義詞
  • fruit

    the sweet, seed-bearing part of a plant, often contrasted with vegetables in cooking

文法句型

vegetable + noun (modifier)

plural: vegetables

用法筆記

Countable noun; the plural form vegetables is extremely common because people usually talk about vegetables as a group of foods.

常見錯誤

❌I ate a vegetable of broccoli.
✅I ate some broccoli / I ate a green vegetable.
💡Broccoli is an uncountable vegetable; use 'a vegetable' only for a countable kind like 'a carrot.'

2. a person who lives a dull, inactive life with little interest in anything exciti

2.名詞B2
釋義

a person who lives a dull, inactive life with little interest in anything exciting or challenging

例句

Ever since Manuela lost her job, she stays home all day and has become a complete vegetable.

pattern: become a vegetable (informal, disapproving)

Kevin sat on the sofa all weekend playing games and doing nothing — a total vegetable.

同義詞
  • couch potato

    more common, less harsh — refers specifically to someone who spends a lot of time watching TV or lying around

  • slug

    less common; compares a lazy person to a slow-moving animal

反義詞
  • go-getter

    an energetic, ambitious person who pursues goals actively

文法句型

a vegetable — used as a predicate noun after 'become' or 'be'

用法筆記

This sense is disapproving but not as intensely offensive as sense 3. It compares a person to a passive object rather than to someone with a medical condition. Still, avoid using it about someone with a disability.

常見錯誤

❌He is a vegetable because he works all day' (implies a medical condition).
✅He is such a couch potato.
💡Use 'couch potato' for laziness; reserve 'vegetable' for a more extreme lack of activity.

3. a taboo term used to dehumanise someone whose brain is so badly damaged that the

3.名詞C1
釋義

a taboo term used to dehumanise someone whose brain is so badly damaged that they can no longer think, speak, or move like a healthy person

例句

The doctor scolded the intern for using the word vegetable to describe a patient with brain damage.

pattern: using 'vegetable' as a dehumanising label (warned against)

Campaign groups say calling anyone a vegetable is deeply insulting to people with severe disabilities.

文法句型

a vegetable — used as a predicate noun

用法筆記

⚠️ EXTREMELY OFFENSIVE. Do NOT use this word to describe a person with a medical condition or disability. It is a dehumanising slur. The standard medical term is 'person in a persistent vegetative state.' Even in informal contexts, this term causes serious offence.

常見錯誤

❌The patient has been a vegetable since the accident.
✅The patient has been in a persistent vegetative state since the accident.
💡The first version is dehumanising and offensive; use the clinical term instead.

vegetable — adjective