survival

American  

[ser-vahy-vuhl] / sərˈvaɪ vəl /

noun

• survivals
  plural

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• survivals
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of survival

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

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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

See Examples For:

survival survivals

The 10-year survival rates for lymphoma vary based on whether it is Hodgkin lymphoma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma, as well as the stage, your age, and the subtype.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Adapted by Duffield and Kraus, “Whalefall” is a heart-tugger tangled in a survival tale — or, arguably, a biologically accurate spin on “Pinocchio.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

The emerging industry has the potential to serve the U.S. military while providing Taiwan with an arsenal that it sees as essential to its survival.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

In a separate survival analysis, mice receiving the Menin treatment also lived longer than untreated controls.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

He had accomplished one of the most spectacular feats of survival ever recorded, and he was celebrated on every continent.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Most existing Celtic objects—found in bogs and burial mounds—are durable works in stone, bone, glass, metal and terracotta with rare survivals in wood, leather and cloth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

And there is Van Gogh's At Eternity's Gate - one of the very rare survivals of his first printmaking campaign during which he produced six lithographs in November 1882.

From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2025

"The need to study these populations for a possible genetic management study became clear several years back, once there were indications that there were few infant births and even fewer infant survivals."

From Science Daily ● Apr. 19, 2024

Iberia, too, had execution survivals that resolved in freedom for the executed.

From Slate ● Dec. 4, 2022

In marked contrast with it stands the Celtic community, of which survivals were lingering for a long time in Ireland and Wales.

From Villainage in England Essays in English Mediaeval History by Paul Vinogradoff

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Related Words

• continuity
• durability
• endurance

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