alive

[ uh-lahyv ]

/ əˈlaɪv /

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See synonyms for: alive / aliveness 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).

OTHER WORDS FOR alive

4 active, nimble.

See synonyms for alive on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR alive

1 dead.

3 defunct.

4 lifeless.

See antonyms for alive on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about alive

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

OTHER WORDS FROM alive

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use alive in a sentence

An estimated 10 quintillion—or 10,000,000,000,000,000,000—individual insects are alive at any given moment.
Insects can be the ultimate teaching tool for kids|By Kawahara, Ennes & Markee/The Conversation|November 20, 2020|Popular-Science
“We saw that there was a really big demand for being able to plan your time together,” says Anders Ekman, who created the Raft app, making sure he designed it in a way that was colorful and friendly, alive with emojis, GIFs and images.
Can Technology Save Your Marriage?|Joshua Eferighe|November 20, 2020|Ozy
She took them to her house, he was alive and well when he was here, and now he is dead when he went to Loreauville to her house.
What Happened To Quawan Charles?|Joe Colucci|November 11, 2020|Essence.com
You told me that keeping the restaurant alive in no matter what capacity, even if you are losing money, is actually an investment in its future success.
The True Cost of Keeping a Restaurant Open During a Pandemic|Charlotte Druckman|November 11, 2020|Eater

Even though the specimen may help advance scientific understanding, he would have rather seen it alive in the ocean.
Giant squid that washed ashore in South Africa is a rare glimpse of the deep-sea creature|Heather Djunga|November 10, 2020|Washington Post
We all share a similar level of aliveness, but experience being alive in a myriad of ways.
Insufferable Elitism of the SATs|James Poulos|March 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Why do you think that talking in terms of questions and ignorance lends itself to that kind of aliveness?
Stuart Firestein, Author of ‘Ignorance,’ Says Not Knowing Is the Key to Science|Casey Schwartz|April 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
She had closed her eyes, but when she opened them they shone with a new and fierce aliveness.
The Narrow House|Evelyn Scott
She was slim but no longer lanky and owned a white-hot aliveness and a grace.
I, Mary MacLane|Mary MacLane
It was an effect of keenness, of aliveness to the zest of the passing moment.
Kildares of Storm|Eleanor Mercein Kelly
The means of expression which he had formed for himself were directed to and brought forward this aliveness.
Auguste Rodin|Rainer Maria Rilke
The night air blew through the gauze curtains, and he felt a wonderful aliveness all over his body.
The Saracen: Land of the Infidel|Robert Shea

British Dictionary definitions for alive

alive

/ (əˈlaɪv) /

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 forms of alive

aliveness, 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

Other 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

OTHER WORDS FOR alive

OPPOSITES FOR alive

Idioms about alive

Origin of alive

OTHER WORDS FROM alive

Words related to alive

How to use alive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for alive

Derived forms of alive

Word Origin for alive

Other Idioms and Phrases with alive