alive

[uh-lahyv]

adjective

1. having life; living; existing; not dead or lifeless.

   Antonyms: dead

2. living (used for emphasis).

   the proudest man alive.

3. in a state of action; in force or operation; active.

   to keep hope alive.

   Antonyms: defunct

4. full of energy and spirit; lively.

   Grandmother's more alive than most of her contemporaries.

   Synonyms: nimble, active
   Antonyms: lifeless

5. having the quality of life; vivid; vibrant.

   The room was alive with color.

6. Electricity.,  live.

alive

/ əˈlaɪv /

adjective

1. (of people, animals, plants, etc) living; having life

2. in existence; active

   they kept hope alive

   the tradition was still alive

3. (immediately postpositive and usually used with a superlative) of those living; now living

   the happiest woman alive

4. full of life; lively

   she was wonderfully alive for her age

5. (usually foll by with) animated

   a face alive with emotion

6. (foll by to) aware (of); sensitive (to)

7. (foll by with) teeming (with)

   the mattress was alive with fleas

8. electronics another word for live 2

9. (of a person) active and in good health

10. hurry up! get busy!

Other Word Forms

• aliveness noun
• half-alive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of alive¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English on līfe “in life”; equivalent to a- ¹ + life

Word History and Origins

Origin of alive¹

Old English on līfe in _life

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. alive to, alert or sensitive to; aware of.

   City planners are alive to the necessity of revitalizing deteriorating neighborhoods.

2. look alive! pay attention! move quickly!.

   Look alive! We haven't got all day.

3. alive with, filled with living things; swarming; teeming.

   The room was alive with mosquitoes.

More idioms and phrases containing alive

• come alive
• eat someone alive
• look alive
• more dead than alive
• skin alive

Example Sentences

As much as “The Family Stone” feels like an all-too-fitting farewell for its star, it’s just as much an indication that no one is ever really lost, so long as we keep their memory alive.

Read more on Salon

Israelis celebrated Monday’s return of the last 20 hostages still alive in Gaza.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Nigeria kept alive hopes of swelling the African representation to 10 nations by finishing as the four best-ranked runners-up.

Read more on Barron's

His family learned only that he had made it to Gaza still alive, in shape.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Negative impacts might be more severe in the absence of efforts to adapt,” the report is reduced to nonsensically arguing, as if adaptation is not the definition of being alive for humans and other creatures.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• awake 
• eager 
• ready 
• rife