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

There were 55 wolves confirmed alive and nine wolf packs by the end of 2025, according to Fish and Wildlife’s annual wolf report. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Identifier), in the process of replying to the read requests, at some point the SMB server should never respond to the read request but keep the connection alive. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026

Tibetan Buddhist sites are being promoted as tourism destinations to both generate income and keep the struggle alive in visitors’ minds. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 July 2026

As the siege escalates, loyalties are tested and selfless sacrifices are made, leading to a desperate fight for survival where not everyone will emerge alive. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 9 July 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
• khedive
• revive
• survive
• dive
• drive

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