Life definition

Life as a noun

1. a characteristic state or mode of living

   "social life"

2. the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities

   "he could no longer cope with the complexities of life"

   Same sense: living

3. the course of existence of an individual; the actions and events that occur in living

   "he hoped for a new life in Australia"

4. the condition of living or the state of being alive

   "while there's life there's hope"

   Same sense: living, animation, aliveness

5. the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death)

   "the battery had a short life"

   Same sense: life-time, lifetime, lifespan

6. the period between birth and the present time

   "I have known him all his life"

7. the period from the present until death

   "he appointed himself emperor for life"

8. a living person

   "his heroism saved a life"

9. animation and energy in action or expression

   "it was a heavy play and the actors tried in vain to give life to it"

   Same sense: spirit, liveliness, sprightliness

10. living things collectively

    "the oceans are teeming with life"

11. the organic phenomenon that distinguishes living organisms from nonliving ones

    "there is no life on the moon"

12. an account of the series of events making up a person's life

    Same sense: life story, life history, biography

13. a motive for living

    "pottery was his life"

14. a prison term lasting as long as the prisoner lives

    "he got life for killing the guard"

    Same sense: life sentence

Synonyms and antonyms

• living
• animation
• aliveness
• life-time
• lifetime
• lifespan
• spirit
• liveliness
• sprightliness
• life story
• life history
• biography
• life sentence

All synonyms of life, sense by sense

How to say life

Life has 1 syllable and rhymes with wife. Syllable counts and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary.

Words that rhyme with life

• wife
• knife
• wildlife
• strife
• housewife
• fife
• afterlife
• midwife
• nightlife
• rife
• midlife
• alewife

LIFE in word games

Scrabble

7

Words With Friends

8

Anagrams

2

Is LIFE a valid Scrabble word? Yes, it is in the ENABLE list most word games use. Check LIFE in the word checker, or unscramble LIFE to see its 2 anagrams and the shorter words in its letters.