standard of living

noun phrase

1

: the necessities, comforts, and luxuries enjoyed or aspired to by an individual or group

2

: a minimum of necessities, comforts, or luxuries held essential to maintaining a person or group in customary or proper status or circumstances

Examples of standard of living in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Their standard of living, known as their real wage, had declined during the prior four years. —Hersh Shefrin, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025

Americans are staring down a disruption to their standard of living. —Erica Pandey, Axios, 5 Apr. 2025

Each country was chosen based on several factors, including standard of living and life expectancy, population size, number of hospitals and data availability. —Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025

The late 19th century experienced turmoil remarkably similar to today — government dysfunction, profound changes in the economic landscape, decreasing standards of living, and massive technological transformations. —Rich Baum, New York Daily News, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for standard of living

• almsgiving
• caregiving
• forgiving
• misgiving
• nonliving
• reliving
• thanksgiving
• giving
• sieving
• unforgiving

Kids Definition

standard of living

: the necessities, comforts, and luxuries that a person or group is accustomed to