living
(Informal)
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- alive, active, breathing, existing
- current, active, contemporary, extant, in use
[noun]
Synonyms:
- existence, being, existing, life, subsistence
- life style, way of life

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Antonyms: lifeless
Contrasted words: dead, deceased, defunct, demised, departed, gone, inanimate
Related Words: being, existing, subsisting, active, dynamic, live, operative, sustainment, sustentation

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. liv‧ing¹ /ˈlɪvɪŋ/ adjective
[Word Family: verb: live, outlive, relive, liven, up; adjective: live, lively, living, liveable; noun: liveliness, living, livelihood; adverb: live]

1. alive now Antonym : dead:
He’s one of the greatest living composers.
The sun affects all living things (=people, animals, and plants).
a living language (=one that people still use)

2. living proof if someone is living proof of a particular fact, they are a good example of how true it is
living proof (that)
I’m living proof that you don’t need a college degree to be successful.
living proof of
the living proof of government economic incompetence

3. in/within living memory during the time that anyone can remember:
It was the worst storm in living memory.

4. a living death a life that is so unpleasant that it seems better to be dead

5. a living hell a very unpleasant situation that makes you suffer for a long time:
These past few days have been a living hell.

6. living legend someone who is famous for being extremely good at something, and who still does that activity:
His music has made him a living legend.
⇒ scare/frighten the (living) daylights out of somebody at daylight(3), ⇒ beat/knock the (living) daylights out of somebody/something at daylight(4)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. living² S2 noun
[Word Family: verb: live, outlive, relive, liven, up; adjective: live, lively, living, liveable; noun: liveliness, living, livelihood; adverb: live]

1. [countable usually singular] the way that you earn money or the money that you earn:
It’s not a great job, but it’s a living.
What do you do for a living? (=what do you do as a job?)
earn/make a living
It’s hard to make a decent living as a musician.
scrape/scratch a living (=get just enough to eat or live)

2. the living all the people who are alive as opposed to dead people Antonym : the dead

3. [uncountable] the way in which someone lives their life:
the stresses of city living

4. [countable] the position or income of a parish priest
⇒ cost of living, standard of living, ⇒ in the land of the living at land¹(7)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

living
noun
ADJ. comfortable, decent, good He makes a good living as a builder.
meagre She eked out a meagre living as an artist's model.
VERB + LIVING earn, make Her dream was to earn her living as a singer.
eke out, scrape (together), scratch They were forced to scrape a living by selling things on the streets.
do sth for He asked what I did for a living.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

living

earn/make a living
She was able to make a living out of her talents as a cook.
do something for a living (=to work at something as your job)
'What does he do for a living?' 'I think he's a taxi driver.'
scrape out/scratch out/eke out a living (=to barely earn enough money to live)
The farmers in these drought-stricken areas are barely able to scratch out a living.
a good/decent living (=enough money)
Her husband makes a good living.
a meagre living British English, a meager living American English (=not much money)
She earned a meagre living as a shop assistant.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

living
noun
BAD: The local farmers will never change their way of living.
GOOD: The local farmers will never change their way of life.
BAD: We have different languages, traditions and living styles.
GOOD: We have different languages, traditions and life styles.

Usage Note:
See note at LIFE 2 (life)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲