noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/səˈvaɪ.vəl/
UK:/səˈvʌɪ.vəl/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/sɚˈvaɪ.vəl/
rhymes with -aɪvəl
CMU ARPABET:S ER0 V AY1 V AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The fact or act of surviving; continued existence or life.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
His survival in the open ocean was a miracle; he had fully expected to die.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Of, relating to or aiding survival.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
persecution survival plan
His survival kit had all the things he needed in the wilderness.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The avoidance of relegation or demotion to a lower league or division.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A custom or belief that persists in folklore from earlier times, when the rationale behind it is forgotten.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: anthropology, human-sciences, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
something that survives
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: endurance
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: animation, life, living, aliveness
Narrower terms: subsistence
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Italic *super Latin super Latin super- Proto-Indo-European *gweyh3- Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *gwih3wós Proto-Indo-European *gwíh3weti Proto-Italic *gwīwō Latin vīvō Latin supervīvereder. English survive English -al English survival From survive + -al.
Across languages
Translations
65 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
mbijetesë
— continued existence or life
Belarusian:
выжыва́нне
(vyžyvánnje)
— continued existence or life
Belarusian:
выжыва́ньне
(vyžyvánʹnje)
— continued existence or life
Bulgarian:
преживя́ване
(preživjávane)
— continued existence or life
Bulgarian:
оцеляване
(oceljavane)
— continued existence or life
Catalan:
supervivència
— continued existence or life
Chinese Mandarin:
生存
(shēngcún)
— continued existence or life
Czech:
přežití
— continued existence or life
Danish:
overlevelse
— continued existence or life
Dutch:
overleven
— continued existence or life
Dutch:
overleving
— continued existence or life
Esperanto:
transvivo
— continued existence or life
Finnish:
eloonjääminen
— continued existence or life
Finnish:
selviytyminen
— continued existence or life
French:
survie
— continued existence or life
Friulian:
sorevivence
— continued existence or life
Galician:
supervivencia
— continued existence or life
German:
Überleben
— continued existence or life
Greek:
επιβίωση
(epivíosi)
— continued existence or life
Hungarian:
túlélés
— continued existence or life
Indonesian:
kesintasan
— continued existence or life
Indonesian:
tahan hidup
— continued existence or life
Irish:
maireachtáil
— continued existence or life
Italian:
sopravvivenza
— continued existence or life
Japanese:
生存
(seizon)
— continued existence or life
Japanese:
サバイバル
(sabaibaru)
— continued existence or life
Khmer:
ការរស់រានមានជីវិត
(kaa rŭəh riən miən ciivɨt)
— continued existence or life
Korean:
생존
(saengjon)
— continued existence or life
Latvian:
izdzīvošana
— continued existence or life
Ligurian:
sopravivénsa
— continued existence or life
Lithuanian:
išlikimas
— continued existence or life
Macedonian:
опстанок
(opstanok)
— continued existence or life
Malay:
ikhtiar hidup
— continued existence or life
Norwegian:
overlevelse
— continued existence or life
Occitan:
subrevida
— continued existence or life
Polish:
przetrwanie
— continued existence or life
Polish:
przeżycie
— continued existence or life
Portuguese:
sobrevivência
— continued existence or life
Romanian:
supraviețuire
— continued existence or life
Russian:
выжива́ние
(vyživánije)
— continued existence or life
Slovak:
prežitie
— continued existence or life
Spanish:
supervivencia
— continued existence or life
Spanish:
pervivencia
— continued existence or life
Spanish:
sobrevivencia
— continued existence or life
Swahili:
kuishi
— continued existence or life
Swahili:
kusalimika
— continued existence or life
Swedish:
överlevnad
— continued existence or life
Tagalog:
lighay
— continued existence or life
Turkish:
hayatta kalma
— continued existence or life
Ukrainian:
вижива́ння
(vyžyvánnja)
— continued existence or life
Walloon:
sorvicaedje
— continued existence or life
Yiddish:
קיום
(kiyem)
— continued existence or life
Yiddish:
איבערלעבונג
(iberlebung)
— continued existence or life
Belarusian:
перажы́так
(pjeražýtak)
— persistent custom or belief
Bulgarian:
отживе́лица
(otživélica)
— persistent custom or belief
German:
Relikt
— persistent custom or belief
German:
Überbleibsel
— persistent custom or belief
German:
Überlebsel
— persistent custom or belief
German:
Überrest
— persistent custom or belief
Japanese:
残存
(zanzon)
— persistent custom or belief
Japanese:
遺物
(ibutsu)
— persistent custom or belief
Malay:
peninggalan
— persistent custom or belief
Russian:
пережи́ток
(perežítok)
— persistent custom or belief
Ukrainian:
пере́житок
(peréžytok)
— persistent custom or belief
Ukrainian:
пережи́ток
(perežýtok)
— persistent custom or belief