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- Dictionarylife/līf/
noun
- 1. the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death: "the origins of life" Similar existencebeinglivinganimationalivenessanimatenessentitysentiencecreationsurvivalviabilityrare:esseOpposite deathnonexistence
- ▪ living things and their activity: "lower forms of life" Similar living thingsliving beingsliving creaturesthe livinghuman/animal/plant lifefaunafloraecosystemscreatureswildlifehuman beingshumanityhumankindmankindmanhuman activityliterary:flesh
- 2. the existence of an individual human being or animal: "a disaster that claimed the lives of 266 Americans" Similar personhuman beingindividualmortalsoulcreature
- ▪ a particular type or aspect of people's existence: "his father decided to start a new life in California" Similar way of lifeway of livingmanner of livinglifestylesituationpositionstatestationconditionset of circumstancesfatelotspherefieldlinecareerbusiness
- ▪ a biography: "a life of Shelley" Similar biographyautobiographylife storylife historymemoirhistoryprofilediaryjournalconfessionsrecordchronicleaccountreportportrayaldepictionportraitinformal:biogbio
- ▪ either of the two states of a person's existence separated by death (as in Christianity and some other religious traditions): "too much happiness in this life could reduce the chances of salvation in the next" Similar lifetimelife spandaysduration of lifeallotted spancourse of lifetime on earthexistenceone's timeone's careerthreescore years and tenthis mortal coilinformal:one's born days
- ▪ any of a number of successive existences in which a soul is held to be reincarnated (as in Hinduism and some other religious traditions): "a spiritual pilgrimage into her past lives"
- ▪ a chance to live after narrowly escaping death (with reference to the nine lives traditionally attributed to cats): "we were called to the hospital, but the old rogue had nine lives and seemed to be negotiating for another two"
- 3. the period between the birth and death of a living thing, especially a human being: "she has lived all her life in the country" Similar lifetimelife spandaysduration of lifeallotted spancourse of lifetime on earthexistenceone's timeone's careerthreescore years and tenthis mortal coilinformal:one's born days
- ▪ the period during which something inanimate or abstract continues to exist, function, or be valid: "underlay helps to prolong the life of a carpet" Similar durationactive lifelifetimeexistencefunctioning periodperiod of effectivenessperiod of usefulnessvalidityefficacy
- ▪ a sentence of imprisonment for life. informal
- 4. vitality, vigor, or energy: "she was beautiful and full of life" Similar vivacityanimationlivelinessvitalityvervehigh spiritssparkleexuberancezestbuoyancyeffervescenceenthusiasmenergyvigordynamismgoelangustobriobouncespiritspiritednessactivityfirepanachecolordashdrivepushbusinessbustlehustle and bustlemovementstirinformal:oomphpizzazzpepzingzipvimget-up-and-gomoving spiritmoving forceanimating spiritvital spiritspiritvital sparklife forcelifebloodessencecoreheartsoulstrengthquintessencesubstanceélan vital
- 5. (in art) the depiction of a subject from a real model, rather than from an artist's imagination: "the pose and clothing were sketched from life"
Word Origin Old Englishlīf, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch lijf, German Leib ‘body’, also to live1.
Scrabble Points: 7
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