living

[ liv-ing ]

/ ˈlɪv ɪŋ /

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adjective

having life; being alive; not dead: living persons.

in actual existence or use; extant: living languages.

active or thriving; vigorous; strong: a living faith.

burning or glowing, as a coal.

flowing freely, as water.

pertaining to, suitable for, or sufficient for existence or subsistence: living conditions; a living wage.

of or relating to living persons: within living memory.

lifelike; true to life, as a picture or narrative.

in its natural state and place; not uprooted, changed, etc.: living rock.

Informal. very; absolute (used as an intensifier): You scared the living daylights out of me!He's making her life a living hell.

noun

the act or condition of a person or thing that lives: Living is very expensive these days.

the means of maintaining life; livelihood: to earn one's living.

a particular manner, state, or status of life: luxurious living.

Usually the living .(used with a plural verb) living persons collectively: glad to be back among the living.

British. the benefice of a member of the clergy.

OTHER WORDS FOR living

1 live, quick.

2 existing, surviving.

3 lively, flourishing.

12 sustenance, subsistence.

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OPPOSITES FOR living

1 dead.

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QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of living

First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective lyvyng(e); replacing earlier liviende, Old English lifgende (see live¹, -ing²); Middle English noun living(e) (see -ing¹)

OTHER WORDS FROM living

liv·ing·ly, adverbliv·ing·ness, nounnon·liv·ing, adjective, nounquasi-living, adjective

un·liv·ing, adjective

Words nearby living

live with, liveyer, Livia Drusilla, livid, lividity, living, living bandage, living bank, living daylights, living death, living fossil

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

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say living?

A person’s living is their means of maintaining life. How is this term different from livelihood and maintenance? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

How to use living in a sentence

His prototype for Goat is Alto Pharmacy, a booming digital health unicorn today that the founders started in his living room.
With Goat Capital, Justin Kan and Robin Chan want to keep founding alongside the right teams|Eric Eldon|September 17, 2020|TechCrunch
It didn’t take long for the Wrecking Ball of Consequence to come swinging into the Houston Rockets’ living room.
Everything Should Be On The Table For The Houston Rockets. Even James Harden’s Future.|Chris Herring (chris.herring@fivethirtyeight.com)|September 14, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
This ensures your CTV ads are delivering an experience that is traditionally only found in the living room, watching network television.
5 tips for adding connected TV to your holiday ad strategy|Sponsored Content: SteelHouse|September 14, 2020|Search Engine Land
As much as Netflix may be a tree in spirit, in reality, it’s not a living, interconnected organism.
What if Your Company Had No Rules? (Bonus Episode)|Maria Konnikova|September 12, 2020|Freakonomics

We could raise the federal minimum wage, which hasn’t gone up in over 11 years, or incentivize businesses to pay their employees a living wage.
How we can save small business from coronavirus-induced extinction|matthewheimer|September 10, 2020|Fortune
Patrick Klugman, the deputy mayor of Paris, said: “We are living our kind of 9/11,” he said.
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers|Nico Hines|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Last week I turned 40, a bittersweet occasion because I crossed the line to living longer without my mother than with her.
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone|Samantha Levine|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But as an American creating a new brand here, and living the daily life of the souk, he seems to be in a league of his own.
The Photographer Who Gave Up Manhattan for Marrakech|Liza Foreman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A single father, he had been living abroad and returned when his mother was diagnosed with cancer.
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone|Samantha Levine|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
For those living in poor communities in particular, interactions with police rarely come with good news and a smile.
How to Solve the Policing Crisis|Keli Goff|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
To be so humbled in the knowledge of any living being, was the vultures of Prometheus to the proud heart of Ripperda.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
The living (value £250) is in the gift of trustees, and is now held by the Rev. M. Parker, Vicar.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
So far as their thought is still alive these men will come into the discussion of living questions now.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
If they are still Moderns and alive, I defy you to bury them if you are discussing living questions in a full and honest way.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Either they are unavoidable if your living questions are fully discussed, or they are irrelevant and they do not matter.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

British Dictionary definitions for living

living

/ (ˈlɪvɪŋ) /

adjective

possessing life; not dead
(as collective noun preceded by the)the living

having the characteristics of life (used esp to distinguish organisms from nonliving matter)

currently in use or validliving language

seeming to be reala living image

(of animals or plants) existing in the present age; extantCompare extinct (def. 1)

geology another word for live 2 (def. 15)

presented by actors before a live audienceliving theatre

(prenominal) (intensifier)the living daylights

noun

the condition of being alive

the manner in which one conducts one's lifefast living

the means, esp the financial means, whereby one lives

Church of England another term for benefice

(modifier) of, involving, or characteristic of everyday lifeliving area

(modifier) of or involving those now alive (esp in the phrase living memory)

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

living

OTHER WORDS FOR living

OPPOSITES FOR living

Origin of living

OTHER WORDS FROM living

Words nearby living

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say living?

Words related to living

How to use living in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for living