subsistence
Americannoun
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the state or fact of subsisting.
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the state or fact of existing.
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the providing of sustenance or support.
- Synonyms:
- nourishment, maintenance, survival
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means of supporting life; a living or livelihood.
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the source from which food and other items necessary to exist are obtained.
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Philosophy.
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existence, especially of an independent entity.
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the quality of having timeless or abstract existence.
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mode of existence or that by which a substance is individualized.
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noun
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the means by which one maintains life
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the act or condition of subsisting
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a thing that has real existence
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the state of being inherent
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philosophy an inferior mode of being ascribed to the references of general terms which do not in fact exist See also nonbeing
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of subsistence
1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin subsistentia; see subsist, -ence
Explanation
Subsistence means the minimal resources that are necessary for survival. If you work for subsistence, you'll probably receive food, water, and lodging (internet access not included). Subsistence can be used in a variety of subtly different ways. In addition to referring to necessities for survival, it can indicate one's means of obtaining those necessities (usually a job). And if you feel like getting philosophical, subsistence can refer to the very act of existence itself.
Vocabulary lists containing subsistence
"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift
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100 SAT words Beginning with "S"
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Revolution in Our Time
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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.
According to the chamber, materials excluded from the guidelines include shearling, vintage fur and fur obtained "by indigenous communities through traditional subsistence hunting practices".
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
She said that she was a subsistence farmer and was not sure how she would provide for her newly enlarged family.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
State Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond described his childhood subsistence on food stamps, free school lunches and surplus government cheese.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2026
In any case, he says, “in modern welfare states, the struggle for subsistence has been abolished.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026
The remaining obstacle to European would-be settlers was that European crops, livestock, and subsistence methods do poorly everywhere in the New Guinea environment and climate.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
