alive

adjective

ə-ˈlīv 

1

: having life : not dead or inanimate

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

• 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

By refusing to specify details of the case, the government keeps the possibility alive of changing their reasoning or their claims to have the same effect for different reasons—just as the mob changes its reasoning for killing Cinna. —JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2025

For her the world was rich with meaning and alive with delight. —Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025

While the Cowboys trail the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East, Dallas' hopes of making the playoffs remain very much alive. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025

The texture feels alive—polished yet dynamic—helping the orris read more like modern tailoring rather than powdery nostalgia. —Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2025

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
• 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