quality of life

noun phrase

: overall enjoyment of life : general well-being

… the male characters on the show not only have a better chance of survival; they're also more likely to improve their quality of life through friendship.

—Juliet Lapidos

specifically : the degree to which a person or group is healthy, comfortable, and able to enjoy the activities of daily living

Migraine is a common disorder that can severely affect patients' quality of life and daily function.

—New England Journal of Medicine

—often hyphenated when used before another noun

A number of recent surveys have identified noise as New York City's greatest quality-of-life issue.

—Tom Vanderbilt

—abbreviation QOL

Examples of quality of life in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Implementing buying back your time, focusing on outcomes and creating detailed systems can transform your business and your quality of life as an entrepreneur. —Vaishali Dev, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025

Metastatic prostate cancer may affect your quality of life, relationships, ability to work, and finances. —Carrie Madormo, Health, 6 July 2025

For the Pentagon, the bill would provide billions for ship building, munitions systems, and quality of life measures for servicemen and women, as well as $25 billion for the development of the Golden Dome missile defense system. —Kevin Freking, Twin Cities, 5 July 2025

But overall, the three-term Republican said, the tranche of measures will improve Texas' quality of life and business environment. —John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 3 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for quality of life

• afterlife
• pocketknife
• alewife
• birdlife
• folklife
• housewife
• jackknife
• loosestrife
• midlife
• midwife
• nightlife
• penknife