alive

adjective

ə-ˈlīv 

1

: having life : not dead or inanimate

trying to keep the plant alive

2

a

: still in existence, force, or operation : active

kept hope alive

b

: still active in competition with a chance of victory

must win to stay alive in the playoffs

3

: knowing or realizing the existence of something : sensitive

alive to the danger

4

: marked by alertness, energy, or briskness

his face came alive at the mention of food

5

: marked by much life, animation, or activity : swarming

streets alive with traffic

6

—used as an intensive following the noun

the proudest boy alive

aliveness noun

Synonyms of alive

• breathing
• live
• animate

Choose the Right Synonym for alive

aware, cognizant, conscious, sensible, alive, awake mean having knowledge of something.

aware implies vigilance in observing or alertness in drawing inferences from what one experiences.

aware of changes in climate

cognizant implies having special or certain knowledge as from firsthand sources.

not fully cognizant of the facts

conscious implies that one is focusing one's attention on something or is even preoccupied by it.

conscious that my heart was pounding

sensible implies direct or intuitive perceiving especially of intangibles or of emotional states or qualities.

sensible of a teacher's influence

alive adds to sensible the implication of acute sensitivity to something.

alive to the thrill of danger

awake implies that one has become alive to something and is on the alert.

a country always awake to the threat of invasion

Examples of alive in a Sentence

It feels great to be alive.

The patient was barely alive.

The sheriff was ordered to find the killer and bring him back alive.

He managed to stay alive for a week without any food.

The patient is being kept alive by artificial means.

an old tradition that is still alive

We need to keep hope alive.

The team needs to win tonight in order to stay alive in the play-offs.

I love to sail because it makes me feel so alive.

Recent Examples on the Web

On Wednesday, Banfield described the relationship as casual while his wife was alive. —Olivia Diaz The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026

There's so much that goes into creating the show and this franchise and keeping it alive. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Those numbers likely don’t differentiate between who makes it out of the peaceful protest alive and who emerges as a martyr for the cause. —Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026

His influence is felt not only in classrooms and through public broadcasting, but across generations who see history as something alive and relevant. —Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 29 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English on life, from on + līf life

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing alive

• alive and kicking
• alive and well
• alive to
• bring (something) alive
• burn alive
• come alive
• dead or alive
• eat alive
• more dead than alive
• skin (someone) alive

Rhymes for alive

• archive
• arrive
• beehive
• connive
• contrive
• deprive
• derive
• revive
• survive
• dive
• drive
• five

Kids Definition

alive

adjective

ə-ˈlīv 

1

: having life : not dead

2

: still in existence, force, or operation : active

kept hope alive

3

: extremely aware or conscious : sensitive

alive to the beauty of life

4

: marked by much life or activity

blossoms alive with bees

aliveness noun

Medical Definition

alive

adjective

ə-ˈlīv 

: having life : not dead or inanimate