livelihood
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What are other ways to say livelihood? A person’s livelihood is their means of supporting existence, especially financially or vocationally. Do you know the difference between livelihood, living, and maintenance? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Etymology
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)
Explanation
Your livelihood is the job you work at to earn the income that supports you. The word livelihood started out as the Old English līflād, or "course of life," and around the 13th century changed to livelode, which meant "a means of keeping one alive." As "-lode" morphed into "-hood," which meant "state, condition," the meaning of the word also changed to mean support for a person's life. That naturally came to mean your job, which provides the monetary support to keep you going.
Vocabulary lists containing livelihood
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Can I Work It? Words for "Job"
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"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The nominees for the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame are chosen by a group of around 40 industry professionals, described as inductees, academics and journalists whose passion, expertise, and livelihood is all about music.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
Hans Holbein the Younger maintained his livelihood as a painter through times of religious and political turmoil.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
“They were attempting to take my livelihood and automate it,” she told me.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026
Financial infidelity is at least as damaging to a marriage and a couple’s livelihood as other kinds of secrecy and unfaithfulness.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 2, 2026
I could always run up into the fields and save myself, but the point was to try to get the wagon home so we could earn our livelihood through the winter.
From "My Brother Sam is Dead" by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
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.
