living
Usage
What are other ways to say living?
Living and livelihood (a somewhat more formal word), both refer to what one earns to keep (oneself) alive, but are seldom interchangeable within the same phrase: to earn one's living; to threaten one's livelihood. “To make a living” suggests making just enough to keep alive, and is particularly frequent in the negative: You cannot make a living out of that. “To make a livelihood out of something” suggests rather making a business of it: to make a livelihood out of knitting hats. Maintenance refers usually to what is spent for the living of another: to provide for the maintenance of someone. Maintenance occasionally refers to the allowance itself provided for livelihood: They are entitled to a maintenance from this estate.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Kuhn said the wildfire findings also exposed how disaster response systems can fail people who already are living without shelter.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
Living standards: If the population is also growing, increased GDP can still mean less money per person, which can reduce people's living standards.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
As the authors note, slow drawdowns “can reduce retirement living standards.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
At the time, the pair had been separated while still living in the home together, Davis said, and Cerina Fairfax had installed cameras throughout the house.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Despite the fact that, beyond the sunshine, fighter planes made their way across the sky, and people had lost their homes, and we were living on rations and our streets were patrolled by soldiers.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
