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livelihood

[lahyv-lee-hood] / ˈlaɪv liˌhʊd /


Usage

What are other ways to say livelihood? Livelihood and the less formal word living, both refer to what one earns to keep (oneself) alive, but are seldom interchangeable within the same phrase: to threaten one's livelihood; to earn one's living. “To make a livelihood out of something” suggests making a business of it: to make a livelihood out of knitting hats. “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.  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.

See Examples For:

“My livelihood is directly dependent on the environment,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 5, 2026

His videos drew dozens of aspiring food truck owners, many of them immigrants like Ochoa, who entrusted him with their life savings in hopes of turning their dreams into a livelihood.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 29, 2026

"We are almost left without any means of livelihood, because we don't receive a salary anywhere ... we are self-employed," she said.

From Barron's Aug. 20, 2026

But when it did, the flood threatened not only her home, but the livelihood she had spent years building.

From BBC Aug. 11, 2026

He had never had any interest in the family livelihood.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

The unrelenting dryness has brought hardship upon cattle ranchers, who say their livelihoods increasingly are under threat.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 5, 2026

"A change in a degree can translate to the loss of thousands of lives and livelihoods."

From Barron's Sep. 3, 2026

I won't take risks with people's jobs or their livelihoods or their family finances.

From BBC Aug. 25, 2026

State media said he met Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in late July for talks that included the people’s livelihoods, securing resources, managing foreign currency and energy use.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 11, 2026

“Well, since we’re claiming this is an emergency and that many livelihoods are at stake, I’d say three to six months.”

From "Lawn Boy Returns" by Gary Paulsen




Vocabulary lists containing livelihood


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