survival

American  

[ser-vahy-vuhl] / sərˈvaɪ vəl /

noun

1. the act or fact of surviving, especially under adverse or unusual circumstances.

2. a person or thing that survives or endures, especially an ancient custom, observance, belief, or the like.

3. Anthropology. (no longer in technical use) the persistence of a cultural trait, practice, or the like long after it has lost its original meaning or usefulness.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or for use in surviving, especially under adverse or unusual circumstances.

   survival techniques.

survival British  

/ səˈvaɪvəl /

noun

1. a person or thing that survives, such as a custom

2. 1. the act or fact of surviving or condition of having survived

   2. ( as modifier )

      survival kit

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsurvival
  noun

Etymology

Origin of survival

First recorded in 1590–1600; survive + -al ²

Explanation

As a wise man once said, “The history of the world, my sweet, is who gets eaten and who gets to eat.” That’s survival in a nutshell. It’s the act of continuing to live, usually when others fail. As the Bee Gees put it in disco’s heyday — survival means “staying alive.” If you look closely, you’ll spot viv in the middle of survival. That’s part of the Latin verb vivere, meaning “to live.” You might recognize it from words like vivid "lively" and vivacious "full of life." Combine it with sur- (over) and you’ll grasp the essence of survival: to keep existing despite hardship or after others die. Charles Darwin’s term survival of the fittest means that only the best equipped live will reproduce and survive.

Example Sentences

Tides, storms, shifting temperatures, and changing nutrient availability introduced new pressures that made survival less predictable and increased competition for resources.

From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026

For them, victory equals survival and enhanced deterrence, in the shape of acknowledgement of their control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most strategic waterways.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

For American manufacturing, rail efficiency is not a luxury; it is a baseline requirement for survival.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

Cedric Perrin, chief of the foreign affairs and defence committee at the French Senate, said that Macron "was the only one who still believed in the survival of FCAS."

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

Consequently, we need to think of science as being the result of an evolutionary process where good science has had, over the last five centuries, a better prospect of survival than bad science.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• continuity
• durability
• endurance