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
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.
"I just wanted him to stay alive," she had said.
From BBC
So I was half right—Imogene’s science project was alive, but it probably wouldn’t bite me unless it was great big mice, and I didn’t want to find out.
From Literature
"Once we have the CT model from the fossil, we can take material properties from extant animals and make it as if our Thrinaxodon came alive," Luo said.
From Science Daily
The reptile sure won millions of hearts when he was alive, but he was also remembered for stealing from a 12-year-old girl.
From BBC
The emergency agency in the region of Andalusia urged any crash survivors to contact their families or post on social media that they are alive.
From BBC
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.
