alive

[uh-lahyv]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR alive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

living (used for emphasis): the proudest man alive.

in a state of action; in force or operation; active: to keep hope alive.

full of energy and spirit; lively: Grandmother's more alive than most of her contemporaries.

having the quality of life; vivid; vibrant: The room was alive with color.

Electricity. live²(def 17).

Nearby words

Idioms

alive to, alert or sensitive to; aware of: City planners are alive to the necessity of revitalizing deteriorating neighborhoods.

alive with, filled with living things; swarming; teeming: The room was alive with mosquitoes.

look alive! pay attention! move quickly!: Look alive! We haven't got all day.

Origin of alive

before 1000; Middle English; Old English on līfe in life; see a-¹

SYNONYMS FOR alive

4. active.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR alive ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR alive

1. dead. 3. defunct. 4. lifeless.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR alive ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsa·live·ness, nounhalf-a·live, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for alive

The distinction between over-policing and non-responsiveness was alive and well in Bed-Stuy.
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown|Batya Ungar-Sargon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
After all, unlike the other vaccines currently in the pipeline, this one is alive and replication-competent.
Uh Oh: Ebola Vaccine Trials Stop|Leigh Cowart|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Syrians who arrived in Sicily this week are lucky to be alive.
Inside the Smuggling Networks Flooding Europe with Refugees|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If a person looks like they are alive, but their brain shows no signs of activity, is this person dead or alive?
What It’s Like to Wake Up Dead|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Having spent 11 hours in cold storage, she began moving around within her body bag, where mortuary staff found her alive and well.
What It’s Like to Wake Up Dead|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When shall we know whether they are dead or alive, whether strong and healthy or moaning upon a bed in hospital?
Six Women and the Invasion|Gabrielle Yerta
If he had been alive I am certain he would not have shirked his duty.
Yule Logs|Various
He did this because he wanted to sell some property that he could not sell if Jemmy were alive.
Stories of American Life and Adventure|Edward Eggleston
This was no little tragedy: the two sticks of condensed and concentrated protein might have kept Ben alive for a few days more.
The Sky Line of Spruce|Edison Marshall
Every one was alive to the necessity of finding the cabin of the old naturalist as soon as possible.
The Boy Scouts of Lenox|Frank V. Webster

British Dictionary definitions for alive

alive

adjective (postpositive)

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

in existence; activethey kept hope alive; the tradition was still alive

(immediately postpositive and usually used with a superlative) of those living; now livingthe happiest woman alive

full of life; livelyshe was wonderfully alive for her age

(usually foll by with) animateda face alive with emotion

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

(foll by with) teeming (with)the mattress was alive with fleas

electronics another word for live 2 (def. 11)

alive and kicking (of a person) active and in good health

look alive! hurry up! get busy!

Derived Formsaliveness, noun

Word Origin for alive

Old English on līfe in life

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for alive

alive

adj.

c.1200, from Old English on life "in living." The fuller form on live was still current 17c. Alive and kicking "alert, vigorous," attested from 1859; "The allusion is to a child in the womb after quickening" [Farmer]. Used emphatically, especially with man; e.g.:

[A]bout a thousand gentlemen having bought his almanacks for this year, merely to find what he said against me, at every line they read they would lift up their eyes, and cry out betwixt rage and laughter, "they were sure no man alive ever writ such damned stuff as this." [Jonathan Swift, Bickerstaff's Vindication, 1709]

Thus abstracted as an expletive, man alive! (1845).

Idioms and Phrases with alive

alive

In addition to the idioms beginning with alive

alive and kicking
alive to
alive with

also see:

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

alive

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of alive

Examples from the Web for alive

alive

adjective (postpositive)

Word Origin for alive

alive

alive