survival

American  

[ser-vahy-vuhl] / sərˈvaɪ vəl /

noun

survivals plural

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

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

3. 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.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or for use in surviving, especially under adverse or unusual circumstances.

   survival techniques.

survival British  

/ səˈvaɪvəl /

noun

1. a person or thing that survives, such as a custom

2. 1. the act or fact of surviving or condition of having survived

   2. ( as modifier )

      survival kit

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsurvival
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• survivals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of survival

First recorded in 1590–1600; survive + -al ²

Explanation

As a wise man once said, “The history of the world, my sweet, is who gets eaten and who gets to eat.” That’s survival in a nutshell. It’s the act of continuing to live, usually when others fail. As the Bee Gees put it in disco’s heyday — survival means “staying alive.” If you look closely, you’ll spot viv in the middle of survival. That’s part of the Latin verb vivere, meaning “to live.” You might recognize it from words like vivid "lively" and vivacious "full of life." Combine it with sur- (over) and you’ll grasp the essence of survival: to keep existing despite hardship or after others die. Charles Darwin’s term survival of the fittest means that only the best equipped live will reproduce and survive.

Example Sentences

In 2007, Time magazine touted the scientists as “innovators” in its “Global Warming Survival Guide.”

From Salon • Jun. 26, 2026

There are 575 of them, clustered on a former munitions depot near South Dakota’s Black Hills and billed as “The Largest Survival Community on Earth.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

The cash from the government's Species Survival Fund was spent restoring and protecting the area's plants, insects and birds, with community engagement being central to the scheme.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

"You can imagine how many people are thinking 'I wish I had a bomb shelter,'" Hubbard, 63, told AFP in the office of his company, Atlas Survival Shelters.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

Just as I was about to ask what Survival Night meant exactly, the sound of a strange hissing animal filled the air.

From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth

Related Words

• continuity
• durability
• endurance