What does unalive mean?
Unalive is a euphemistic way to say “kill” or “die.”
Examples of unalive
I remember the day I forgot to buy bread. Grandma almost unalived me.
—@miss_lilieee, X (formerly Twitter), 12 Apr. 2025
The internet is going wild. Did someone important unalive?
—@myalteredsoul, Blue Sky, 7 Dec. 2024
The owner told Newsweek via TikTok that the dogs didn't “unalive the skunk,” which she originally thought. Turns out the skunk was playing dead, and to protect itself from the dogs, it sprayed them.
—Liz O’Connell, Newsweek, 13 Sept. 2024
Where does unalive come from?
Use of unalive to mean “kill” or “die” arose on video-focused social media platforms (such as TikTok) by content creators and commenters to avoid having their videos or comments flagged/removed for violent or inappropriate content.
I’ve noticed a lot of YouTubers using “unalived” instead of “killed” or “suicide,” for fear of being demonetized or suspended.
—@FrankyKnuckles, _Reddit, 2 Aug. 2024
How is unalive used?
Unalive is an example of euphemism, the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant. It often used to enable discussion of sensitive or serious topics (such as suicide) on social media without risking content removal or punitive consequences from social media moderators or algorithms. Unalive is used as a verb, with all of the regular tenses and participles: unalived, unaliving, unalives. Unalived is also used as an adjective meaning dead.