living will
noun
: a document in which the signer requests to be allowed to die rather than be kept alive by artificial means if disabled beyond a reasonable expectation of recovery compare advance directive
Examples of living will in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Future living will pose challenges with new need states and business opportunities.
—
Sarah Davanzo, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2023
The conditions of living will determine the quality of life for all regardless of fanciful and contradictory tales of comfort.
—Hazlitt, 27 Sep. 2023
Having an advance directive, health care proxy, or living will, unfortunately, can be virtually useless in the face of that kind of behavior.
—Sahaj Kaur Kohli, Washington Post, 22 June 2023
This applies whether your cost of living will be increasing or decreasing.
—David Rae, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023
Unlike a legal will, in which one specifies what do with one’s assets, or a living will, concerning one’s body, ethical wills have evolved over the centuries to allow the deceased to impart life lessons in the hope that they will be followed and fulfilled.
—Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2020
In that sense, a living will, had it been submitted—the change to the law in 2018 eliminated that requirement—would have identified other kinds of loss-absorbing capital, other kinds of liquidity.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2023
At the end of 2022, the Fed and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation stated that Credit Suisse’s living will showed resolution planning governance deficiencies.
—Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023
The ‘living will’ TikTok trend has sparked strong emotions This trend on TikTok has sparked a flurry of dueling videos among pregnant women and other people.
—Jocelyn Contreras, CNN, 18 Feb. 2023
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Sarah Davanzo, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2023
The conditions of living will determine the quality of life for all regardless of fanciful and contradictory tales of comfort.
—Hazlitt, 27 Sep. 2023
Having an advance directive, health care proxy, or living will, unfortunately, can be virtually useless in the face of that kind of behavior.
—Sahaj Kaur Kohli, Washington Post, 22 June 2023
This applies whether your cost of living will be increasing or decreasing.
—David Rae, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023
Unlike a legal will, in which one specifies what do with one’s assets, or a living will, concerning one’s body, ethical wills have evolved over the centuries to allow the deceased to impart life lessons in the hope that they will be followed and fulfilled.
—Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2020
In that sense, a living will, had it been submitted—the change to the law in 2018 eliminated that requirement—would have identified other kinds of loss-absorbing capital, other kinds of liquidity.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2023
At the end of 2022, the Fed and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation stated that Credit Suisse’s living will showed resolution planning governance deficiencies.
—Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023
The ‘living will’ TikTok trend has sparked strong emotions This trend on TikTok has sparked a flurry of dueling videos among pregnant women and other people.
—Jocelyn Contreras, CNN, 18 Feb. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'living will.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1969, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near living will
Cite this Entry
“Living will.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/living%20will. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
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Medical Definition
living will
noun
: a document in which the signer requests to be allowed to die rather than be kept alive by artificial means in the event of becoming disabled beyond a reasonable expectation of recovery see advance directive
Legal Definition
living will
noun
liv·ing will
: a document in which the signer indicates preferences or directions for the administration and especially the withdrawal or withholding of life-sustaining medical treatment in the event of terminal illness or permanent unconsciousness see also advance directive compare health care power of attorney at power of attorney
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