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

• 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

For this story, Image collaborated with the Performance Art Museum and artist Tyler Matthew Oyer to honor and re-create three of High Performance’s radical covers, featuring Lacy, Newton and Sisters of Survival.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

Survival during extreme global crises depends on adaptability, resilience, and reproductive strategy.

From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026

Survival has its own language—quieter than we expect, but no less insistent.

From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026

"You can imagine how many people are thinking 'I wish I had a bomb shelter,'" Hubbard, 63, told AFP in the office of his company, Atlas Survival Shelters.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

“Paintball is a game. Dungeons and Dragons is a game. Survival Night is REAL. For twenty-four hours, you will be living in a postapocalyptic world.”

From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth

Related Words

• continuity
• durability
• endurance