life

noun

ˈlīf How to pronounce life (audio)
Definition of lifenext
1
as in energy
active strength of body or mind even though he's 86 years old, he still shows a lot of life

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in person
a member of the human race an appalling number of lives were lost in the war

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in duration
the period during which something exists, lasts, or is in progress the Egyptian civilization had an extremely long life

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4
as in lifestyle
the way people live at a particular time and place frontier life must have been rugged, exciting, challenging, and more than a little dangerous

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5
as in biography
a history of a person's life a renowned historian who has written lives of several early presidents

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of life Their stories recount the devastation to homes and businesses, life in temporary shelters, and the difficult process of rebuilding or relocating. — Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026 Move the clutter, create the quiet corner, or set one household boundary that gives your inner life more air. — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 18 July 2026 All 155 people on board survived to tell the story for the rest of their lives. — Scott Simon, NPR, 18 July 2026 Although the trailer was never intended to be a stepping stone, life gradually shifted their plans. — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for life
Recent Examples of Synonyms for life
  1. energy
  2. person
  3. duration
  4. lifestyle
  5. biography
  6. vigor
  7. man
  8. lifespan
Noun
  • Wisconsin has committed up to $55 million in incentives to help Realta Fusion build its new headquarters and fusion research facility in Madison, a move aimed at strengthening the state’s position in the emerging fusion energy industry.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 July 2026
  • Sixty-eight percent of likely voters told PPIC the cost of energy — both in utility bills and the price of gasoline at the pump — were a big problem.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026
Definition of energy
Noun
  • Here’s a look at some of the numbers racked up by the person overseeing the tournament that will have featured a record 104 matches spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico, the largest geographic footprint in World Cup history.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
  • Odysseus also prided himself on being the only person able to string his sturdy bow.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
Definition of person
Noun
  • Compared to 35-mm projection, the shutter of the GT projector stays open for a slightly greater duration, allowing the light from two powerful xenon short-arc lamps to shine through the film for longer to produce brighter images.
    — Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 July 2026
  • Long-duration experiments involving molten salt are incredibly rare.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 July 2026
Definition of duration
Noun
  • This group also has an important window of opportunity where lifestyle changes can still significantly reverse or reduce disease risk.
    — Nicole Williams, AJC.com, 14 July 2026
  • In recent years, she’s leaned into lifestyle content in addition to her signature makeup and beauty vlogs, giving followers a peek at her worldwide travels and love for interior design.
    — Kara Nesvig, Time, 14 July 2026
Definition of lifestyle
Noun
  • The study challenges the idea that understanding art requires specialist knowledge, arguing that personal responses, emotions, and individual experiences can be just as important as knowing an artist’s biography or historical context.
    — Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 17 July 2026
  • Although this book was longlisted for the National Book Award for Poetry, it could easily have been categorized as biography.
    — Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
Definition of biography
Noun
  • His ideas were too radical even for many of our Founding Fathers, but the vigor of his writing and the clarity of his thinking were as a spark to gunpowder, and that was coming, too.
    — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026
  • Dividing clumps every few years in early spring also maintains their vigor.
    — SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 11 July 2026
Definition of vigor
Noun
  • Durán Guerrero’s neighbor said the young man, who was headed to work when the shooting happened, lived with his partner and their 3-year-old daughter.
    — Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
  • The Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking for public assistance in identifying a man, who is accused of robbing a bank in Miami Lakes.
    — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
Definition of man
Noun
  • Also, the average lifespan of an incandescent bulb is only 1,000 hours.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026
  • Unlike farmland converted to housing, solar installations could more easily revert back to farming at the end of a project’s 30-year lifespan.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of lifespan

Phrases Containing life

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lieutenants
life
life-and-death
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Cite this Entry

“Life.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/life. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on life

Nglish: Translation of life for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about life

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