livelihood
Americannoun
-
livelihoods
plural
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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
And instead of simply asking fishermen to stop, it has helped develop snail farming as an alternative livelihood.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
It added: "Delaying this transaction will only harm entertainment workers who have already suffered over recent years as technology has disrupted their livelihood and cost California tens of thousands of entertainment jobs."
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
It meant she was free to report Holder, who was no longer her boss, and "the threat was taken away" from her livelihood.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
In Paris he found a livelihood and literary standing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
‘You must look out for your own livelihood first.’
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
These include more severe weather, reduced seafood availability, threats to food safety, disrupted livelihoods and greater mental health pressures in coastal areas.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Their insecurity about AI’s impact on their livelihoods is growing.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
That a wheel of Parmigiano could represent thousands of livelihoods.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
But it has also frustrated hundreds of Russian sellers who depend on online marketplaces for their livelihoods, making the war feel closer to home after almost four and a half years.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Second, it encourages a healthy fear of humans—discouraging the cubs from wandering onto farms and being shot by farmers protecting their livelihoods.
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
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.
