alive
English
Etymology
From Middle English alive, alyve, alife, from Old English on līfe (“in life”), equivalent to a- + live.
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 95: Parameter 1 should be a valid language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL. IPA(key): /əˈlaɪv/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -aɪv
Adjective
alive (comparative more alive, superlative most alive)
- Having life; living; not dead
- As long as the plant is alive, he will continue to water it.
- In a state of action; in force or operation; existent
- to keep the fire alive
- to keep the affections alive
- Busy with activity of many living beings; swarming; thronged; busy.
- Although quite dull during the day, the main street comes alive at night, with many bars and clubs opening.
- 1848, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second
- The Boyne, for a quarter of a mile, was alive with muskets and green boughs.
- Sprightly; lively; brisk.
- 2018 May 26, Daniel Taylor, “Liverpool go through after Mohamed Salah stops Manchester City fightback”, in The Guardian (London)[1]:
- Liverpool’s equaliser came within four minutes. James Milner swung the ball over from a corner on the right and Sadio Mané, Liverpool’s most dangerous player, was alive in the six-yard area.
- Having susceptibility; easily impressed; having lively feelings, as opposed to apathy; sensitive.
- 1762, William Falconer, The Shipwreck
- Though tremblingly alive to Nature's laws, Yet ever firm to Honour's sacred cause
- 1762, William Falconer, The Shipwreck
- (as an intensifier) out of all living creatues.
- 2000, Candye Kane, The Toughest Girl Alive
- I'm the toughest girl alive.
I walked through the fire and I survived.
- I'm the toughest girl alive.
- 1702, Edward Hyde Clarendon, The History of the Rebellion
- The Earl of Northumberland 'was the proudest man alive' and 'was in all his deportment a very great man.
- Synonyms: in the world, ever
- 2000, Candye Kane, The Toughest Girl Alive
Usage notes
- Alive always follows the noun which it qualifies, for example "The bee is alive". Before a noun, the adjectives living or live may be used with a similar meaning
Antonyms
Derived terms
Terms derived from alive
Translations
having life
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in a state of action
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exhibiting the activity and motion of many living beings
sprightly, lively, brisk
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having susceptibility
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of all living
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “alive”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)
Anagrams
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms prefixed with a-
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/aɪv
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- English adjectives commonly used as postmodifiers