livelihood

noun

live·​li·​hood ˈlīv-lē-ˌhu̇d 

1

: means of support or subsistence (see subsistence sense 2)

The villagers' main livelihood is fishing.

2

obsolete : the quality or state of being lively

Examples of livelihood in a Sentence

Many fishermen believe that the new regulations threaten their livelihoods.

Recent Examples on the Web

Funding Medicaid is a matter of lives and livelihoods. —Dr. Michelle Morse, New York Daily News, 2 May 2025

The company is also boosting its commitment as a Regenerative Organic Certified company that enhances the livelihoods of farmers and indigenous communities in the Atlantic Rainforest. —Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

Like an excavator pushing aside topsoil for the vein of minerals underneath, these cuts are violent and indiscriminate, devastating individual livelihoods and scarring communities. —Sarah Blomeley, Time, 25 Apr. 2025

Then came the destructive Palisades fire and President Trump’s volatile trade war, which have disrupted the livelihoods of Angelenos in a major U.S. trade hub. —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of Middle English livelode course of life, from Old English līflād, from līf + lād course — more at lode

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for livelihood

• misunderstood
• unlikelihood
• adulthood
• babyhood
• brotherhood
• cottonwood
• fatherhood
• firewood
• fuelwood
• hardihood
• ironwood
• leatherwood

Kids Definition

livelihood

noun

live·​li·​hood ˈlīv-lē-ˌhu̇d 

: living entry 2 sense 3