alive
Americanadjective
-
having life; living; existing; not dead or lifeless.
- Antonyms:
- dead
-
living (used for emphasis).
the proudest man alive.
-
in a state of action; in force or operation; active.
to keep hope alive.
- Antonyms:
- defunct
-
full of energy and spirit; lively.
Grandmother's more alive than most of her contemporaries.
- Antonyms:
- lifeless
-
having the quality of life; vivid; vibrant.
The room was alive with color.
-
Electricity. live.
idioms
-
alive to, alert or sensitive to; aware of.
City planners are alive to the necessity of revitalizing deteriorating neighborhoods.
-
look alive! pay attention! move quickly!.
Look alive! We haven't got all day.
-
alive with, filled with living things; swarming; teeming.
The room was alive with mosquitoes.
adjective
-
(of people, animals, plants, etc) living; having life
-
in existence; active
they kept hope alive
the tradition was still alive
-
(immediately postpositive and usually used with a superlative) of those living; now living
the happiest woman alive
-
full of life; lively
she was wonderfully alive for her age
-
(usually foll by with) animated
a face alive with emotion
-
(foll by to) aware (of); sensitive (to)
-
(foll by with) teeming (with)
the mattress was alive with fleas
-
electronics another word for live 2
-
(of a person) active and in good health
-
hurry up! get busy!
Other Word Forms
- aliveness noun
- half-alive adjective
Etymology
Origin of alive
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English on līfe “in life”; equivalent to a- 1 + life
Explanation
If you're alive, you're living — in other words, you're not dead. If your apple tree blooms in the spring, you'll know it's still alive after the long, cold winter. Living things are alive — people, animals, plants — but things can be alive figuratively as well. You might, for example, talk about keeping optimism alive or keeping the school music program alive. The word is often used to mean "spirited" or "full of energy," too, as when a birthday party comes alive just as the magician and the pony arrive. Alive comes from the Old English phrase on life, "in living" or "in life."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These migratory tribes, moving throughout central and northwestern Europe from the Iron Age into the Middle Ages, developed a visceral, abstract visual language that—far from being purely decorative—is alive with motion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
The paper alleges that Minetti described the child she adopted as being abandoned at birth, although court papers show both parents are still alive, but destitute.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
This far into the race, that hope is slim, but I’m keeping it alive.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
Nearly 2,000-year-old Pompeii victim comes alive, thanks to AI.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026
“Don’t even think about skinning them. No, sir, that’s the last thing in the world you want to do. They’ll have to be taken alive, and not harmed in any way.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
