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
• going
• running
• active
• on
• in force
• functional
• operable
• alive
• in commission
• on line
• into commission
• viable
• in gear
• effective
• producing
• useable
• serving
• employable
• flourishing
• performing
• 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
• kaputt
• inert
• deactivated
• unworkable
• quiescent
• fallow
• lifeless
• asleep
• sleepy
• 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
• kaputt

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
• like
• naturalist
• comparable
• three-dimensional
• similar
• lifelike
• vivid
• graphical
• graphic
• compelling
• true
• matching
• convincing
• alike
• faithful
• photo-realistic
• resembling
• accurate
• analogous
• akin
• close
• 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
• phoney

living

2 of 3

noun

as in livelihood

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• 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

Examples of living in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The kids and young adults who listen to Hollins, see him as a living example of choices and consequences. —J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024

Its closest living relatives are river dolphins living more than 6,000 miles (10,000 kilometers) away in South Asia, according to researchers who recently described the previously unknown extinct mammal. —Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 26 Mar. 2024

Noun

Even before Springfield received national attention in recent weeks, the Haitian Times had been covering the influx of immigrants to the Midwest in search of jobs and a lower cost of living, Pierre-Pierre said. —David Bauder, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2024

This two-story home boasts a generous living space with four bedrooms and three baths. —Bay Area Home Report, The Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2024