Synonyms of subsist

subsist

verb

səb-ˈsist 

as in to live

to have life

a love that was as great as any that ever did subsist

Synonyms & Similar Words

• live
• be
• exist
• breathe
• survive
• rule
• continue
• persist
• endure
• keep (on)
• flourish
• last
• abide
• lead
• thrive
• kick
• run on
• hold on
• move
• prosper
• hold up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• die
• perish
• expire
• depart
• disappear
• succumb
• vanish
• cease
• evaporate
• pass away
• stop
• end
• discontinue
• die (down)
• quit
• abate
• subside
• moderate
• desist
• wane
• ebb
• let up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of subsist

Many of the dispossessed took to the woods and subsisted by slash-and-burn tillage, while others immigrated to Manchuria and Japan in search of jobs; the majority of Korean residents now in those areas are their descendants. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Mar. 2026

While tough shot-making is fun, prospects who subsist too heavily on that diet have a much higher failure rate as pros, where those shots go from hard to harder. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026

Until the money arrived, Haley had been trying to subsist largely on black coffee. — Aria Bendix, NBC news, 8 Nov. 2025

Dallas’ offense is swinging for the fences on every possession, subsisting almost exclusively on a diet of explosive plays. — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2025