Alive Meaning
/əˈlaɪv/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjHaving life; living; not dead.
adjIn a state of action; in force or operation; existent.
Sentence Examples
For some reason I feel more alive at night.
I am alive even though I am not giving any sign of life.
His friend was killed and he knows he is lucky to be alive.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The paramedic confirmed the accident victim was still ____ after the crash.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It is a miracle that the hiker was found ____ after three days.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English alyve, alive, alife, olive, olife, on live, on life, from Old English on līfe (“alive”, literally “in life" or "in (the) body”), from on (“on, in”) + līfe, dative singular of līf (“life”). In this sense, replaced Old English cwic (whence English quick). Equivalent to a- + life. Compare Dutch in leven (“alive”, literally “in life”), German am Leben (“alive”, literally “at life" or "at living”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I am hee that liueth, and was dead : and behold, I am aliue foꝛ euermoꝛe,Amen,and haue the keyes of hell and of death."
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Rev 1:18:
"The Boyne, for a quarter of a mile, was alive with muskets and green boughs."
— 1848, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second:
"We may be sure that the Church would be alive to the dangers of allowing the plays to be performed outside the sacred edifice."
— 1925, Godfrey W. Mathews, The Chester Mystery Plays […] ., Liverpool: Edward Howell LTD, page 5:
"The railways are fully alive to the position, and are sparing neither effort nor expense to provide more attractive trains and to effect economies, but in such circumstances some curtailment of services is inevitable."
— 1958 May 26, “Railway Difficulties in the U.S.A.”, in Railway Magazine, page 296:
"Like many producers, she [Shonda Rhimes] is also alive to concerns over how AI tools will feed into the process of making TV."
— 2025 September 13, Daniel Thomas, “Lunch with the FT: Shonda Rhimes”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 3:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The paramedic confirmed the accident victim was still ____ after the crash.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It is a miracle that the hiker was found ____ after three days.