survivor

[ser-vahy-ver]

noun

1. a person or thing that survives.

2. Law.,  the one of two or more designated persons, as joint tenants or others having a joint interest, who outlives the other or others.

3. a person who continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition, hardship, or setbacks.

Other Word Forms

• nonsurvivor noun
• self-survivor noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of survivor¹

First recorded in 1495–1505; survive + -or ²

Example Sentences

“We have not located any survivors,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said Saturday evening, adding that it was “safe to say” the 16 missing people had died.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It took rescue workers more than 30 hours to reach the site, navigating a blizzard and 24-hour darkness, and an additional two days to rescue the last survivors.

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Among the survivors are two sets of siblings.

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An Israeli survivor of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on the Nova musical festival who saw his girlfriend murdered in front of him has been found dead.

Read more on BBC

No survivors are expected to be found after a major explosion at a Tennessee munitions factory on Friday that has left 18 people unaccounted for.

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Related Words

• residue