survival

[ ser-vahy-vuh l ]

/ sərˈvaɪ vəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR survival ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or fact of surviving, especially under adverse or unusual circumstances.

a person or thing that survives or endures, especially an ancient custom, observance, belief, or the like.

Anthropology. (no longer in technical use) the persistence of a cultural trait, practice, or the like long after it has lost its original meaning or usefulness.

adjective

of, relating to, or for use in surviving, especially under adverse or unusual circumstances: survival techniques.

Nearby words

surveyor's chain, surveyor's compass, surveyor's level, surveyor's measure, survivable, survival, survival bag, survival curve, survival kit, survival of the fittest, survival value

Origin of survival

First recorded in 1590–1600; survive + -al²

Related formsnon·sur·viv·al, noun

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

Examples from the Web for survival

With chemotherapy, her doctors give her at least an 80 percent chance of survival.
Should Teens Have The Right To Die?|Brandy Zadrozny|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She is using this technique, which generations of African-Americans have used for survival, for fame and profit.
The Cultural Crimes of Iggy Azalea|Amy Zimmerman|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My survival no longer offers the time, but to see others expressing frustration they can barely put into words is helpful.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Protesting|Rawiya Kameir, Judnick Mayard|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
James brought little in the way of survival skills, but his companionship at night raised the team morale.
James Franco and Seth Rogen Get ‘Naked and Afraid’… And It’s Hilarious|Marlow Stern|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Her hold on her position at the hospital—and thus, her survival—is tenuous and she knows it.
The Walking Dead’s ‘Crossed’: The Stage Is Now Set for a Bloody, Deadly Midseason Finale|Melissa Leon|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Under these circumstances I could not do other than accept the survival terms the Gern commander offered us.
Space Prison|Tom Godwin
If the belief in survival had not been already in existence these assumptions would never have been made.
A Grammar of Freethought|Chapman Cohen
The principle of the survival of the fittest had resulted in the selection of the best men from all the previous expeditions.
South American Fights and Fighters|Cyrus Townsend Brady
Marx and Lasallis and Bradlaugh, clever as they are, can't prevent the survival of the fittest.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 22. October, 1878.|Various
The name is a survival of the idea that Columbus had found the East.
A Source Book in American History to 1787|Various

British Dictionary definitions for survival

survival

/ (səˈvaɪvəl) /

noun

a person or thing that survives, such as a custom

the act or fact of surviving or condition of having survived
(as modifier)survival kit

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 survival

survival

1590s, from survive + -al (2). Phrase survival of the fittest was used by Spencer in place of Darwin's natural selection.

survival

noun

adjective

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Origin of survival

Examples from the Web for survival

British Dictionary definitions for survival

survival

noun

Word Origin and History for survival

survival