Synonyms of living

living 1 of 3

adjective

ˈli-viŋ 

1

as in operating

being in effective operation

a living tradition of the holiday season

a living culture that has survived a number of foreign invasions

Synonyms & Similar Words

• operating
• operational
• operative
• functioning
• live
• working
• running
• going
• active
• on
• in force
• alive
• functional
• operable
• in commission
• on line
• viable
• in gear
• effective
• producing
• serving
• employable
• performing
• flourishing
• effectual
• useful
• usable
• productive
• workable
• busy
• thriving
• humming
• yielding
• dynamic
• bustling
• astir
• roaring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dead
• broken
• inactive
• inoperative
• nonfunctioning
• nonfunctional
• nonoperative
• useless
• ineffective
• ineffectual
• nonactivated
• nonoperational
• nonoperating
• arrested
• idle
• dormant
• unusable
• kaput
• decommissioned
• inert
• deactivated
• unworkable
• quiescent
• fallow
• lifeless
• sleepy
• asleep
• inoperable
• latent
• unproductive
• nonproductive
• stagnating
• vegetating

2

as in existing

having being at the present time

there are fewer than a dozen living former presidents

Synonyms & Similar Words

• existing
• extant
• existent
• alive
• operating
• active
• functioning
• around
• busy
• working
• flourishing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dead
• extinct
• destroyed
• gone
• defunct
• lost
• departed
• nonextant
• nonexistent
• exterminated
• idle
• inactive
• inert
• kaput

3

as in breathing

having or showing life

is your hamster still living?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• breathing
• alive
• live
• animate
• active
• surviving
• thriving
• lively
• animated
• dynamic
• existing
• quick
• vibrant
• current
• going
• existent
• prevailing
• extant
• vigorous
• vital
• vivacious
• resurrected

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dead
• deceased
• dying
• cold
• inanimate
• nonliving
• departed
• lifeless
• expired
• asleep
• defunct
• breathless
• fading
• moribund
• resting
• stillborn
• gone
• absent
• ghostly
• extinct
• nonexistent
• finished
• vanished
• terminated
• fallen
• wiped out
• lost
• ghostlike
• barren
• lapsed
• desert
• reposing
• zombielike
• ghosty
• perished

4

as in realistic

closely resembling the object imitated

an outdoor museum that is a living re-creation of a typical New England village circa 1840

Synonyms & Similar Words

• realistic
• natural
• naturalistic
• near
• three-dimensional
• like
• comparable
• similar
• lifelike
• vivid
• graphic
• true
• compelling
• matching
• convincing
• accurate
• photo-realistic
• alike
• faithful
• close
• analogous
• resembling
• akin
• approximate
• expressive
• verisimilar
• gritty

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unlike
• unnatural
• unrealistic
• dissimilar
• off
• different
• incomparable
• unmatched
• disparate
• nonnatural
• contrasting
• nonrealistic
• mock
• fake
• phony
• unalike
• sham
• contrasted

living

2 of 3

noun

as in livelihood

Related Words

• livelihood
• work
• employment
• occupation
• business
• enterprise
• profession
• vocation
• calling
• trade
• field
• game
• racket
• art
• mission
• lay
• lifework
• métier
• office
• engagement
• situation
• assignment
• line
• gig
• call
• craft
• position
• job
• place
• handicraft
• task
• function
• duty
• handcraft
• post
• load
• workload
• appointment
• billet
• berth

Dissimilar Words

• pursuit
• hobby
• avocation

living

3 of 3

verb

present participle of live

1

as in residing

to have a home

he lives next door to the hospital

Synonyms & Similar Words

• residing
• dwelling
• staying
• abiding
• inhabiting
• occupying
• visiting
• lodging
• haunting
• cohabiting
• hanging (at)
• settling
• frequenting
• renting
• populating
• subletting
• leasing
• peopling
• tenanting

2

as in being

to have life

Socrates was a philosopher who lived in ancient Greece

Synonyms & Similar Words

• being
• existing
• breathing
• ruling
• subsisting
• surviving
• continuing
• kicking
• enduring
• flourishing
• keeping (on)
• lasting
• abiding
• leading
• moving
• persisting
• holding on
• running on
• thriving
• prospering
• holding up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dying
• departing
• perishing
• succumbing
• vanishing
• disappearing
• expiring
• passing away
• evaporating
• ending
• stopping
• ceasing
• dying (down)
• quitting
• discontinuing
• subsiding
• moderating
• waning
• ebbing
• abating
• desisting
• letting up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of living

Adjective

Common spaces include a guest kitchen, lounge, and outdoor terrace, evoking a co-living space more than a standard hotel. — Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026

The moa's eggs were about the size of a football, which is far larger than the eggs of the moa's closest living relatives, such as the emu. — Rob Stein, NPR, 19 May 2026

Noun

Then redirect resources to create corridors of affordability where car-light living can become realistic. — Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 2 Aug. 2026

While past British leaders have spent weekends in their local constituencies, or at the prime minister’s official Chequers country retreat, none in living memory has had a large-scale office outside London. — ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026

Verb

Piero Ferrari, the only living son of the Italian marque’s founder Enzo Ferrari, just received a brand-new Bombardier Challenger 3500 jet. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 3 Aug. 2026

For him and Nicole Ansari-Cox, his wife of 24 years, that means living apart — an arrangement that’s less common than simply maintaining separate bedrooms. — Louis Peitzman, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026