alive
English meaning: Alive
Definition
Having life; living; not dead
Example
“As long as the plant is alive, he will continue to water it.”
Another example: “The whole town came alive when the festival lights were switched on.”
Usage — When, Where & How
A common adjective, normally used predicatively (after a verb: 'is alive', not usually 'an alive cat'). Beyond literally living, it has vivid figurative senses: full of energy ('the city is alive'), aware ('alive to the danger'), and the idiom 'alive and kicking'.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Old English 'on life' (in life), where 'life' is the dative of 'lif'; the prepositional phrase fused into a single word by Middle English.
Synonyms
Antonyms / Opposites
- dead
- lifeless
- deceased
- inanimate
Related Words
Common Collocations
- stay alive
- alive and well
- barely alive
- keep hope alive
- come alive
- alive and kicking
Word Forms
alive (adj)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B