subsistence

noun

sub·​sis·​tence səb-ˈsi-stən(t)s How to pronounce subsistence (audio)
1
a(1)
: real being : existence
(2)
: the condition of remaining in existence : continuation, persistence
b
: an essential characteristic quality of something that exists
c
: the character possessed by whatever is logically conceivable
2
: means of subsisting: such as
a
: the minimum (as of food and shelter) necessary to support life
b
: a source or means of obtaining the necessities of life
subsistent adjective

Examples of subsistence in a Sentence

They depended on hunting and fishing for subsistence. Farming is their means of subsistence.
Recent Examples on the Web Debra Krol: There's seven Tribes, tribal governments, representing seven tribal cultures who have a cultural, and spiritual, and subsistence stake in the health of the Klamath River. Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 The 6,500-member tribe's lands span the Klamath's final 44 miles to the Pacific Ocean, and the Yurok and other tribes that depend on the Klamath for subsistence and cultural activities have long advocated for the dams' removal and for ecological restoration. The Arizona Republic, 16 Feb. 2024 Early capitalism and its disciplinary concomitant, the then-nascent field of political economy, understood workers not as people, with a craving for vastness, but as animals, who aspire to nothing more ornate than subsistence. Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 8 Feb. 2024 His work, which often centers on freshwater issues, climate change and subsistence, has appeared in Circle of Blue, Sierra magazine, Discover magazine and Alaska Sporting Journal. Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Feb. 2024 Estimates from the same time period put the annual subsistence harvest at between 10,000 and 14,000 animals, many of which were cows and calves. Tyler Freel, Outdoor Life, 3 Jan. 2024 Opponents of the project believe the road will negatively impact the environment, wildlife and subsistence communities within the area. Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Sep. 2023 After Italy’s industrialization in the 1950s and 1960s, the local economy shifted from subsistence agriculture and fishing to industry and tourism, leading to the abandonment of this centuries-old tradition. Vittoria Traverso, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Nov. 2023 Only eleven—less than a fifth—relied on hunting as their primary means of subsistence, and all but one were limited to either the highest or the lowest latitudes, far beyond our African homeland. Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subsistence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin subsistentia, from subsistent-, subsistens, present participle of subsistere

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler
The first known use of subsistence was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near subsistence

Cite this Entry

“Subsistence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subsistence. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

subsistence

noun
sub·​sis·​tence səb-ˈsis-tən(t)s How to pronounce subsistence (audio)
1
a
: real being : existence
b
: the condition of remaining in existence : continuation, persistence
2
a
: means of subsisting
b
: the minimum (as of food and shelter) necessary to support life
subsistent adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on subsistence

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