DictionaryAI

alive

adjective
uh-LYV/əˈlaɪv/

7 meanings of alive

Practice

  1. 1
    livingadjectivenot before a noun
    Having life; living and not dead.

    After three days lost in the mountains, the hiker was found alive.

    The ancient tortoise is still alive at over a hundred years old.

    UsageComes after a verb: the fish is alive, found alive. Before a noun say a live fish (not incorrect: an alive fish).

    Similarliving

    Oppositedead, deceased

  2. 2
    still existingadjectivenot before a noun
    Still existing, active, in force or in operation.

    The old craft tradition is still alive in a few mountain villages.

    Negotiations remained alive despite repeated setbacks.

    UsageOften with keep or still: keep a tradition alive; hopes are still alive.

    Note

    Here nothing breathes. What is kept going is a flame, a feeling or a practice, and the word carries the hint that it could die out if neglected. That borrowed mortality is what separates it from the literal "living" sense: fires and traditions are spoken of as if they had lives to lose.

  3. 3
    full of energyadjectivenot before a noun
    Lively, brisk, and full of energy.

    He felt more alive than he had in years after the long hike.

    Her eyes were alive with curiosity throughout the lecture.

    UsageOften feel alive, or alive with a feeling: eyes alive with curiosity.

    Similarlively, energetic, vibrant, animated

    Oppositelifeless, dull, listless

    Note

    Here the life is in readiness: alert, quick, awake to the moment. In Dickens's The Pickwick Papers, Smouch asks Mr. Pickwick "to be as alive as he could, for it was a busy time," which means hurry up. Daniel Taylor's 2018 match report has Sadio Mané "alive in the six-yard area," switched on and ready for the ball. Sports writing keeps this sense in steady use.

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • Charles Dickens wrote The Pickwick Papers. gutenberg.org
    • Smouch asks Mr. Pickwick to be quick, using the quoted words. gutenberg.org
    • Daniel Taylor used the quoted description of Sadio Mané in a match report published in 2018. theguardian.com
  4. 4
    full of movementadjectivenot before a noun
    Full of activity, with many living beings moving about; swarming and busy.

    The forest was alive with birdsong at dawn.

    The streets came alive with crowds celebrating the festival.

    UsageA place is alive with what fills it, often after come: the streets came alive with crowds. Compare alive to (aware).

    Similarteeming, bustling, buzzing

    Note

    The thing that is filled, not the creature filling it, is the subject here: a place, or even a dog's coat, is alive with whatever swarms over it. Macaulay's History of England has the Boyne "alive with muskets and green boughs."

  5. 5
    adjectiveemphaticintensifiernot before a noun
    Of all those currently living; used after a superlative for emphasis.

    At that moment he felt like the happiest person alive.

    Many consider her the greatest violinist alive.

    UsageComes after a superlative and its noun: the happiest person alive, the greatest violinist alive.

    Similarliving

    Note

    An intensifier that rides on a superlative: the proudest man alive, the toughest girl alive. The pattern is old and durable. Clarendon writes "the proudest man alive" in The History of the Rebellion (1702), and Candye Kane sings "The Toughest Girl Alive" in 2000.

Less common meanings

  1. 6
    awareadjectivenot before a noun
    Aware of something and responsive to it; quick to notice or feel it (usually alive to).

    The committee was alive to the risks of acting too quickly.

    A skilled diplomat remains alive to subtle shifts in mood.

    UsageUsually alive to something, such as a risk, a danger or a need; it sounds measured and a little formal.

    Note

    Godfrey W. Mathews's The Chester Mystery Plays (1925) has the Church "alive to the dangers," and the FT in 2025 has Shonda Rhimes "alive to concerns" over AI. The same alive to can also stress feeling over noticing, as when someone is alive to beauty or to another's pain.

  2. 7
    electric currentadjectivenot before a noun
    Connected to a source of electricity; energized.

    UsageUsually after a verb: the wire is alive. Before a noun, live is the normal word: a live wire.

    Similarlive, energized, charged

    Oppositedead

    Note

    The electrician's sense, as in a warning that a wire is alive. It applies to wiring, rails and overhead lines, and its practical message is that touching them can deliver a shock.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of alive apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Middle English 'alive' (also 'on live'), from Old English 'on līfe', literally 'in life' or 'in (the) body', formed from 'on' (on, in) plus 'līfe', the dative of 'līf' (life). It replaced the older Old English 'cwic' (source of English 'quick'), and is comparable to Dutch 'in leven' and German 'am Leben', literally 'in life' and 'at life' respectively.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

  • Alive derives through Middle English alive and on live from Old English on līfe. en.wiktionary.org
  • Old English on līfe literally means in life or in the body. en.wiktionary.org
  • On līfe consists of on meaning on or in and līfe, the dative singular of līf meaning life. en.wiktionary.org
  • Alive replaced Old English cwic in this sense, and cwic is the source of quick. en.wiktionary.org
  • Dutch in leven is a comparable expression involving being in life. nl.wiktionary.org
  • German am Leben means alive, but am contracts an dem; its literal rendering is at life or at the life. en.wiktionary.org