Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

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:

"Since the company came, I have seen the exploitation. But the development has also provided a livelihood for many people."

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

"Obviously this is my livelihood so without it I'm not able to eat and put clothes on my back, so it's very important to me," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Drolma’s livelihood depends on her ability to spot the best mushrooms at the auction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

He had never had any interest in the family livelihood.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Roy has promised to keep more Angelenos housed and protect their livelihoods through “affirmative litigation” — suits brought against slumlords and exploitative corporations under the state’s Unfair Competition Law.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

“I have always spoken about the importance of taking care of the workers in this industry, because they have earned their livelihoods from this work,” Mamdani said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Amount of Anthropic’s shares the company is to commit to a public benefit fund that could be distributed to charitable organizations or directly to people whose livelihoods are displaced by AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

She added they were stealing photographers' livelihoods as well as possibly putting children at risk.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

People who performed great acts of physical, moral, or spiritual courage, often risking their lives or livelihoods.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner


Vocabulary lists containing livelihood

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training