living
HighFormal and informal; common across all registers.
Definition
Meaning
The state of being alive; the experience or condition of life itself.
Refers to one's way of life, means of financial support, or vitality. Also used as an adjective describing something currently alive, existing, or in active use.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
As a noun, its primary sense is 'being alive' but it easily slides into 'way of life' (standard of living) or 'occupation' (make a living). The adjective 'living' contrasts directly with 'dead' or 'non-existent'. The present participle 'living' functions as a verb form describing an ongoing state of existence.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minor. The phrase 'earning a living' is slightly more common in US English than 'earning a living wage', which is more specific. The idiom 'the living daylights' is equally common in both.
Connotations
Identical in core meaning. The compound 'living room' is standard in both, though UK English historically used 'sitting room' or 'lounge' more frequently.
Frequency
Equally high-frequency in both dialects.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
make a living (as/from/by)earn a livingstandard of living (in)cost of living (in)for a livingVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Scare the living daylights out of someone”
- “Within living memory”
- “A living legend”
- “Living on borrowed time”
- “The land of the living”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"The rising cost of living is impacting consumer spending."
Academic
"The study compares the quality of living across different urban models."
Everyday
"What do you do for a living?"
Technical
"The specimen was confirmed to be a living representative of the species."
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- They have been living in Manchester for years.
- He is living on a tight budget at the moment.
American English
- They've been living in Seattle for years.
- She's living paycheck to paycheck right now.
adverb
British English
- (Rare as pure adverb; see 'live')
American English
- (Rare as pure adverb; see 'live')
adjective
British English
- It was the greatest living artist of his time.
- All living creatures need water.
American English
- He's considered the greatest living composer.
- Protect all living organisms in the habitat.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- My grandmother is living in a small house.
- Cats and dogs are living animals.
- We eat food for living.
- She makes a living by teaching English online.
- The cost of living in this city is very high.
- Is your grandfather still living?
- Improving the standard of living should be a government priority.
- He's a living example of how hard work pays off.
- The events are still within living memory for many elders.
- The documentary explored the living conditions of the isolated community.
- Her testimony served as living proof of the system's failure.
- He carved out a lucrative living from his innovative tech start-up.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'LIVING' as containing 'LIVE' + 'ING'. It's the '-ING' (ongoing) state of being 'LIVE' (alive).
Conceptual Metaphor
LIFE IS A POSSESSION ("He lost his living"), LIFE IS A LOCATION ("the land of the living"), and LIFE IS A JOURNEY ("make your living").
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating 'living room' as 'жилая комната' – use 'гостиная'.
- Do not use 'living' (adj.) for 'живой' in the sense of 'vivid' (e.g., 'vivid imagination' is not 'living imagination').
- "Make a living" is about earning money, not just creating life ('зарабатывать на жизнь', not 'делать жизнь').
Common Mistakes
- Using 'live' instead of 'living' as an adjective before a noun (e.g., 'a live animal' vs. 'a living animal' – both possible but 'living' is more general).
- Confusing 'lively' (full of energy) with 'living' (alive).
- Using 'life' as an adjective (e.g., 'life conditions') instead of 'living conditions'.
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'living' used as a noun referring to a means of financial support?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Live' (adj. /laɪv/) often means 'not recorded' or 'currently happening' (live broadcast, live wire). 'Living' (adj. /ˈlɪv.ɪŋ/) primarily means 'alive' or 'currently existing' (living being, living language).
Not alone. It's part of the compound noun 'living room' (or sitting room). On its own, the noun 'living' does not mean a room.
It is neutral and acceptable in most contexts, though in very formal writing, 'as a profession' or 'as an occupation' might be preferred.
It refers to an event that is recent enough that there are still people alive who remember it happening.
Explore