living
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
The condition of being alive and existing
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
livingSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈlɪvɪŋ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
People who are still living
“Save your pity for the living.”
uncountable
The state of being alive.
The experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
The financial means whereby one lives
Financial means; a means of maintaining life; livelihood
A style of life.
adjective
Having life; alive.
In use or existing.
True to life.
Of rock or stone, existing in its original state and place.
Continually updated; not static
Used as an intensifier.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The state of being alive.
Used this way, living is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use living
- “Save your pity for the living.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
The animating principle or force that keeps an inorganic thing or concept metaphorically alive (dynamic, relevant, etc)….
The course of someone's life.
The condition of living or the state of being alive.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A dead body that has been brought back to life by a supernatural force.
Highly succulent stemless clump-forming plants with grey-green leaves similar in texture to lumps of granite.
Housing available for people to live in.
Usually unbranched usually spineless cactus covered with warty tubercles and having magenta flowers and white or green fruit.
A room in a private house or establishment where people can sit and talk and relax.
A suite of furniture for the living room.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A suite of furniture for the living room.
A suite of furniture for the living room.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.