living
living Lexical Profile
living Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having life; not dead or inanimate; currently existing as a biological organism.
"Coral reefs support a vast array of living organisms in the ocean."
Relating to the manner, place, or conditions of daily life and domestic existence.
"The city has worked hard to improve living conditions in its older neighborhoods."
Still in active use, existence, or practice; not obsolete or extinct (especially of a language, tradition, or memory).
"It was the worst winter storm in living memory."
• noun
An income or means of financial support sufficient to live on; a livelihood or occupation.
"She earns a comfortable living as a freelance graphic designer."
The pursuit of a lifestyle of the specified type, or the state of being alive.
"The magazine features articles on healthy living and nutrition."
People who are currently alive, considered collectively (usually preceded by 'the').
"The monument honors the fallen while reminding the living of the cost of peace."
Word Nuance & Usage
Unlike 'alive', which is used almost exclusively as a predicate adjective (e.g., 'the plant is alive'), 'living' is primarily used attributively before a noun (e.g., 'living organisms', 'living memory').
• Rhymes for living
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English livynge, from Old English lifiende, the present participle of lifian ('to live'), ultimately from a Proto-Germanic root meaning 'to remain' or 'to continue'.