1
a
: having life
b
: active, functioning
living languages
2
a
: exhibiting the life or motion of nature : natural
the wilderness is a living museum … of natural history—
NEA Jour.
NEA Jour.3
a
: full of life or vigor
b
: true to life : vivid
televised in living color
c
: suited for living
the living area
4
: involving living persons
5
: very
—used as an intensive
scared the living daylights out of me
livingness
noun
1
: the condition of being alive
2
a
: means of subsistence : livelihood
earning a living
c
British
: benefice sense 1
3
: conduct or manner of life
the collegiate way of living—J. B. Conant
J. B. ConantExamples of living in a Sentence
Adjective
I was taught to respect all living things.
His aunt is his closest living relative.
He's one of our greatest living authors.
It was the first time I had ever seen a living, breathing bear in the wild.
Noun
the challenges of city living
It's summertime, and the living is easy.
the living and the dead
The world belongs to the living.
Recent Examples on the Web
Scott Travers, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Six more living hostages returned this past Saturday, but with further outrages by Hamas.
—The Editors, National Review, 24 Feb. 2025
Terry Collins, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
That survey found: 80% say the cost of living has increased in the past year.
—Patrick Gleason, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for living
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
With Asian elephants—its closest living relatives—facing a 22-month pregnancy and a decade-long wait for maturity, researchers needed a faster way to test their genetic edits.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Six more living hostages returned this past Saturday, but with further outrages by Hamas.
—The Editors, National Review, 24 Feb. 2025
Noun
The poll also found the economy and the cost of living are among the chief concerns from the nation’s second-largest voting bloc, as well as the administration's crackdown on immigration and deportation policies.
—Terry Collins, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
That survey found: 80% say the cost of living has increased in the past year.
—Patrick Gleason, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for living
Cite this Entry
“Living.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/living. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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