noun · 6 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:/səˈvaɪvə/
US:/sɚˈvaɪvɚ/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -aɪvə(ɹ)
CMU ARPABET:S ER0 V AY1 V ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
One who survives, especially one who survives a traumatic experience.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
From this moment on, I choose to live not as a victim, but as a survivor.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A person who is able to endure hardship.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: trooper, tough cookie
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
One who knew a specific decedent.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
She was from a large family and had many friends, so the funeral was crowded with mourning survivors.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
an animal that survives in spite of adversity
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
only the fittest animals were survivors of the cold winters
the survivors of the fire were taken to a hospital
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: subsister
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: unfortunate, unfortunate person
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 -or English survivor From survive + -or.
Across languages
Translations
75 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
оцеля́л
(oceljál)
— one who survives
Catalan:
supervivent
— one who survives
Chinese Mandarin:
幸存者
(xìngcúnzhě)
— one who survives
Dutch:
overlevende
— one who survives
Esperanto:
supervivinto
— one who survives
Finnish:
selviytyjä
— one who survives
Finnish:
selviytynyt
— one who survives
French:
survivant
— one who survives
French:
survivante
— one who survives
French:
rescapé
— one who survives
French:
rescapée
— one who survives
Galician:
supervivente
— one who survives
Galician:
sobrevivente
— one who survives
German:
Überlebender
— one who survives
German:
Überlebende
— one who survives
Greek:
επιζών
(epizón)
— one who survives
Greek:
επιβιωθητής
(epiviothitís)
— one who survives
Hindi:
उत्तरजीवी
(uttarjīvī)
— one who survives
Hungarian:
túlélő
— one who survives
Indonesian:
penyintas
— one who survives
Italian:
superstite
— one who survives
Italian:
sopravvissuto
— one who survives
Japanese:
生存者
(sēzonsha)
— one who survives
Japanese:
生き残り
(ikinokori)
— one who survives
Korean:
생존자
(saengjonja)
— one who survives
Latin:
superstes
— one who survives
Macedonian:
прежи́веан
(prežívean)
— one who survives
Macedonian:
преживе́аник
(preživéanik)
— one who survives
Māori:
makorea
— one who survives
Māori:
mokorea
— one who survives
Māori:
toiora
— one who survives
Māori:
mōrehurehu
— one who survives
Māori:
mōrehu
— one who survives
Māori:
pūtoetoe
— one who survives
Māori:
tūora
— one who survives
Norwegian Bokmål:
overlever
— one who survives
Old English:
alibbend
— one who survives
Persian:
بازمانده
(bâzmânde)
— one who survives
Polish:
ocalały
— one who survives
Polish:
ocalała
— one who survives
Portuguese:
sobrevivente
— one who survives
Romanian:
supraviețuitor
— one who survives
Russian:
вы́живший
(výživšij)
— one who survives
Russian:
оста́вшийся в живы́х
(ostávšijsja v živýx)
— one who survives
Russian:
уцеле́вший
(ucelévšij)
— one who survives
Scottish Gaelic:
neach-tàrrsainn
— one who survives
Serbo-Croatian:
preživeli
— one who survives
Serbo-Croatian:
preživjeli
— one who survives
Spanish:
sobreviviente
— one who survives
Spanish:
superviviente
— one who survives
Spanish:
perviviente
— one who survives
Swahili:
nusura
— one who survives
Swedish:
överlevare
— one who survives
Swedish:
överlevande
— one who survives
Ukrainian:
уцілі́вший
(ucilívšyj)
— one who survives
Ukrainian:
той, хто ви́жив
(toj, xto výžyv)
— one who survives
Ukrainian:
той, хто лиши́вся живи́м
(toj, xto lyšývsja žyvým)
— one who survives
Vietnamese:
người sống sót
— one who survives
Welsh:
goroeswr
— one who survives
Chinese Mandarin:
堅韌的人 /坚韧的人
(jiānrèn de rén)
— person who is able to endure hardship
Dutch:
overlever
— person who is able to endure hardship
Finnish:
selviytyjä
— person who is able to endure hardship
German:
Überlebenskünstler
— person who is able to endure hardship
German:
harter Knochen
— person who is able to endure hardship
Chinese Mandarin:
故人之親友 /故人之亲友
(gùrén zhī qīnyǒu)
— one who knew a specific decedent
Dutch:
nabestaande
— one who knew a specific decedent
Finnish:
jälkeenjäänyt
— one who knew a specific decedent
Macedonian:
по́знаник
(póznanik)
— one who knew a specific decedent
Russian:
знако́мый умершего
(znakómyj)
— one who knew a specific decedent
Serbo-Croatian:
nadživjeli
— one who knew a specific decedent
Serbo-Croatian:
nadživeli
— one who knew a specific decedent
Spanish:
supérstite
— one who knew a specific decedent
Spanish:
superviviente
— one who knew a specific decedent
Spanish:
sobreviviente
— one who knew a specific decedent
Swedish:
efterlevande
— one who knew a specific decedent
