An animal which is able to consume both plants (like a herbivore) and meat (like a carnivore).
Used in a Sentence
omnivore
Definition, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for omnivore.
Editorial note
An omnivore eating less meat is good for all the reasons being vegetarian is good - it's not all-or-nothing.
Examples19
Definitions1
Parts of speech1
Quick take
An animal which is able to consume both plants (like a herbivore) and meat (like a carnivore).
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of omnivore gathered in one view.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for omnivore.
noun
An animal which is able to consume both plants (like a herbivore) and meat (like a carnivore).
Example sentences
An omnivore eating less meat is good for all the reasons being vegetarian is good - it's not all-or-nothing.
And because animals eat plants, the average omnivore consumes more plant matter than the average vegan.
This is something that is usually easily/trivially satisfied by a regular omnivore diet.
Now that I've been an omnivore for a few years, my mind works the same way it always has.
That more-vegetarian-than-previously omnivore calling themselves vegetarian is helpful to other vegetarians in that it raises the profile of those issues and normalises pro-social dietary choices.
As a biased omnivore, it would probably be a bit more useful to compare the calorie content of 1 lb of beef vs 1 lb of vegetables.
Occasionally, I drop dairy or become vegan, but mostly I'm a happy omnivore.
What exactly has caused Omnivore to highlight us?
For me two books have been a bit of a game changer, Salt Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss (See also the 'bliss point' [1]) and The omnivore's dilemma by Michael Pollan.
Add to that that my kid has some digestive allergies -- but I cooked when I was a single omnivore, too, but only 5 days/week instead of 6-7.
Lacto-ovo vegetarians are a class of omnivore, too, and I have a really hard time believing anything within an order of magnitude of 5% of humans are strict vegetarians.
As an omnivore I don't really have a dog in the race so to speak, but I suspect an activist would argue that an animal that is killed without suffering is still 'murdered'.
Quote examples
In "The Omnivore's Dilemma", Michael Pollan mentions a type of mushroom that blooms only after a forest fire.
The description in "The Omnivore's Dilemma" of egg yolks from idyllically pasture-raised chickens is forever stuck in my memory.
To add context to this comment, it comes from Michael Pollan, who coined it in the book "The Omnivore's Dilemma".
Example (from Michael Pollan's excellent book "The Omnivore's Dilemna"): FDA regulations that require slaughterhouses to have a private restroom reserved for the FDA inspector.
Proper noun examples
Savory's ideas are not terribly different from those of Joel Salatin, whose sustainable farming techniques are profiled in Michael Pollan's _The Omnivore's Dilemma_.
As a former farmboy and current tech guy I found Omnivore's Dilemma to be quite evenhanded.
In the Omnivore's Dilemma he story about Salatin's farm (Polyface Farms) makes me want to be a grass farmer when I grow up.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use omnivore in a sentence?
An omnivore eating less meat is good for all the reasons being vegetarian is good - it's not all-or-nothing.
What does omnivore mean?
An animal which is able to consume both plants (like a herbivore) and meat (like a carnivore).
What part of speech is omnivore?
omnivore is commonly used as noun.