livelihood

[lahyv-lee-hood]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR livelihood ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a means of supporting one's existence, especially financially or vocationally; living: to earn a livelihood as a tenant farmer.

Nearby words

Origin of livelihood

before 1000; earlier liveliod, livelihod, alteration (by reanalysis as lively + -hood; compare obsolete livelihood liveliness) of Middle English livelod, Old English līflād conduct of life, way of life (see life, lode, load)

SYNONYMS FOR livelihood

sustenance, subsistence.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR livelihood ON THESAURUS.COM

Synonym study

See living.

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

Examples from the Web for livelihood

Ebony had been 12 when her mother was suddenly deprived of her livelihood.
Killed by Donald Sterling’s Racism|Michael Daly|May 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is often directly related to your income or livelihood and I take it very seriously.
These Are the 7 Types of Patients That Drive Your Doctor Totally Bananas|Dr. Jennifer Caudle|February 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The government tells these people that they have to be responsible for their own livelihood, then denies them the right to work.
New Report Exposes Trafficking Rings in Egypt’s Sinai|John Beck|December 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
How does violent crime affect the shopkeepers who rely on tourists for a livelihood?
‘Broadchurch’ Is Great TV for Fans of ‘Downton Abbey,’ ‘Doctor Who,’ and ‘Prime Suspect’|Andrew Romano|August 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Rising seas could threaten the livelihood of that substantial part of the world's population which lives on or near coasts.
Margaret Thatcher Sounded the Alarm on Climate Change|David Frum|April 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Years must pass ere their trade can be restored to the proportions of a livelihood.
South African Memories|Lady Sarah Wilson
She is dependent for her livelihood upon her place at the Kensington Library.
The Drunkard|Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
Earning their livelihood thus basely, debauchery and crime constitute their every-day history.
Continental Monthly , Vol I, Issue I, January 1862|Various
As long as there was a possibility that I'd be stranded in my own time, I wasn't going to lose my livelihood.
The Old Die Rich|Horace Leonard Gold
At the same time she began to array all the possibilities of a livelihood remaining open to her.
The Song of Songs|Hermann Sudermann

British Dictionary definitions for livelihood

livelihood

noun

occupation or employment

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 livelihood

livelihood

1610s, alteration of livelode "means of keeping alive" (c.1300), from Old English lifad "course of life," from lif "life" + lad "way, course" (see load). Cf. Old High German libleita. Spelling assimilated to words in -hood. Earlier livelihood was a different word, meaning "liveliness," from lively.