What does "living" mean?
The state of being alive.
Living
/ˈlɪvɪŋ/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The state of being alive.
- Grammar: living is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: surviving, abiding, ablaze, abode.
- Useful contrasts: dead, nonliving, abiotic.
- Usage evidence: I think my living with you has influenced your way of living.
How to use "living"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "living" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "living" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "living" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "living" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "living" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "surviving" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "living", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The state of being alive. uncountable
- 2 the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities wordnet
- 3 Financial means; a means of maintaining life; livelihood countable, uncountable
"it's a living"
- 4 people who are still living wordnet
- 5 A style of life. countable, uncountable
"plain living"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 the financial means whereby one lives wordnet
- 7 Those who are alive: living people. countable, uncountable, with-definite-article
"in the land of the living"
- 8 the condition of living or the state of being alive wordnet
- 9 A position in a church (usually the Church of England) that has attached to it a source of income; an ecclesiastical benefice. countable, uncountable
"A Rectory or Parſonage, is a Spirituall liuing, compoſed of Land, Tythe, and other Oblations of the people, ſeparate or dedicate to God in any Congregation, for the ſeruice of his Church there, and for the maintenance of the Gouernour or Miniſter thereof, to vvhoſe charge the ſame is committed."
Verb
- 1 present participle of live form-of, participle, present
Adjective
- 1 Having life; alive. not-comparable
"a living, breathing child"
- 2 In use or existing. not-comparable
"Hunanese is a living language."
- 3 True to life. not-comparable
"This is the living image of Fidel Castro."
- 4 Of rock or stone, existing in its original state and place. not-comparable
"This we followed for about five paces, when it suddenly widened out into a small chamber, about eight feet square, and hewn out of the living rock."
- 5 Continually updated; not static not-comparable
"HTML is a living standard."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Used as an intensifier. not-comparable
"He almost beat the living daylights out of me."
Adjective
- 1 (informal) absolute wordnet
- 2 (used of minerals or stone) in its natural state and place; not mined or quarried wordnet
- 3 still in active use wordnet
- 4 still in existence wordnet
- 5 true to life; lifelike wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 pertaining to living persons wordnet
Example
"I think my living with you has influenced your way of living."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "living"?
Common synonyms include: surviving, abiding, ablaze, abode, aboveground, absolute.
How do you use "living" in a sentence?
I think my living with you has influenced your way of living.
How do you pronounce "living"?
Pronounced /ˈlɪvɪŋ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English livynge, libbyng, livinde, livand, livende, libbinde, libbende, from Old English lifiġende, lifiende, libbende, from Proto-West Germanic *libbjandī, from Proto-Germanic *libjandz (“living”), present participle of Proto-Germanic *libjaną (“to live”), equivalent to live + -ing. Cognate with West Frisian libbend (“living”), Dutch levend (“living”), German lebend (“living”), Swedish levande (“living”), Icelandic lifandi (“living”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English livynge, libbynge, equivalent to live + -ing. Cognate with Middle Dutch levinge, (whence Dutch leving (“way of life, living”)), Middle Low German lēvinge (“living”).