Lived, meaning “having a certain kind or extent of life,” is not derived from the preterit and past participle of the verb live , but from the noun life , to which the suffix -ed has been added. The original pronunciation, therefore, and one still heard, is , which retains the vowel (ī) of life. Since the f of life changes to v with the addition of this suffix, as when leaf becomes leaved, this lived is identical in spelling with the preterit and past participle lived, and conflation of the two has led to the increasingly frequent pronunciation of this lived as in such combinations as long-lived and short-lived. Both pronunciations are considered standard.
A Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at life, -ed 3
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Quintero lived next to her cousin, and they became “pen pals” after he was sent to juvenile hall, she testified.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
He said many had lived their whole lives without ever seeing an All-Ireland win for their county, including his own father Patrick who was born just days after the 1951 victory.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
“This one lived for itself, developing an economic mechanism based on human enslavement, which allowed it to become self-sustaining.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Astronauts and cosmonauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the International Space Station for more than 25 years.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
I know it sounds awful, but I wouldn’t have cared where Bubbe lived as long as she wasn’t moving in with us.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
