survival

[ser-vahy-vuh l]

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.

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

Related Words for survival

continuity, endurance, durability, continuation, continuance, vestige, relic, remnant, remainder

Examples from the Web for survival

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of survival

All this, no doubt, was but a survival of his long religious training.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
Polyandry is a survival of the group-marriage of the mother-age.
The Truth About Woman
C. Gasquoine Hartley
Guess it will be a case of the survival of the fittest of the engines when they meet!
The Confessions of a Caricaturist, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Harry Furniss
How does the process of Selection make for the survival of the fittest?
The Meaning of Evolution
Samuel Christian Schmucker
But the price he was paying for survival was the usual price.
Captain Blood
Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for survival

survival

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

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