adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective

1. 1
   Being born alive, as are most mammals, some reptiles, and a few fish (as opposed to being laid as an egg and subsequently hatching, as do most birds and many other species). not-comparable
2. 2
   Arising from an embryo that develops from the outset (rather than from a true seed that then germinates). not-comparable

Adjective

1. 1
   producing living young (not eggs) wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

live bearinglive-bearing

Antonyms

All antonyms

oviparousovoviviparous

Example

More examples

"Viviparous animals give birth to their young while the oviparous lay eggs."

Etymology

From Latin vīviparus, from vīvus (“alive, life, living”) + pariō (“give birth, produce, bring forth”).

Related phrases

Moorean viviparous tree snailviviparous blennyviviparous eelpoutviviparous lizard

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.