life (l f)n. pl. lives (lvz) 1. a. The property or quality that distinguishes living organisms from dead organisms and inanimate matter, manifested in functions such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli or adaptation to the environment originating from within the organism. b. The characteristic state or condition of a living organism. 2. Living organisms considered as a group: plant life; marine life. 3. A living being, especially a person: an earthquake that claimed hundreds of lives. 4. The physical, mental, and spiritual experiences that constitute existence: the artistic life of a writer. 5. a. The interval of time between birth and death: She led a good, long life. b. The interval of time between one's birth and the present: has had hay fever all his life. c. A particular segment of one's life: my adolescent life. d. The period from an occurrence until death: elected for life; paralyzed for life. e. Slang A sentence of imprisonment lasting till death. 6. The time for which something exists or functions: the useful life of a car. 7. A spiritual state regarded as a transcending of corporeal death. 8. An account of a person's life; a biography. 9. Human existence, relationships, or activity in general: real life; everyday life. 10. a. A manner of living: led a hard life. b. A specific, characteristic manner of existence. Used of inanimate objects: "Great institutions seem to have a life of their own, independent of those who run them" New Republic. c. The activities and interests of a particular area or realm: musical life in New York. 11. a. A source of vitality; an animating force: She's the life of the show. b. Liveliness or vitality; animation: a face that is full of life. 12. a. Something that actually exists regarded as a subject for an artist: painted from life. b. Actual environment or reality; nature. adj.1. Of or relating to animate existence; involved in or necessary for living: life processes. 2. Continuing for a lifetime; lifelong: life partner; life imprisonment. 3. Using a living model as a subject for an artist: a life sculpture. Idioms: as big as life1. Life-size. 2. Actually present. bring to life1. To cause to regain consciousness. 2. To put spirit into; to animate. 3. To make lifelike. come to life To become animated; grow excited. for dear life Desperately or urgently: I ran for dear life when I saw the tiger. for life Till the end of one's life. for the life of (one) Though trying hard: For the life of me I couldn't remember his name. not on your life Informal Absolutely not; not for any reason whatsoever. take (one's) life To commit suicide. take (one's) life in (one's) hands To take a dangerous risk. take (someone's) life To commit murder. the good life A wealthy, luxurious way of living. the life of Riley Informal An easy life. the life of the party Informal An animated, amusing person who is the center of attention at a social gathering. to save (one's) life No matter how hard one tries: He can't ski to save his life. true to life Conforming to reality.
[Middle English, from Old English lf; see leip- in Indo-European roots.] |
life Noun pl lives 1. the state or quality that identifies living beings, characterized chiefly by growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli 2. the period between birth and death or between birth and the present time 3. a living person or being: riots which claimed 22 lives 4. the remainder or extent of one's life: with that lady for the rest of her life 5. the process of living: rituals gave his life stability 6. Informal a sentence of life imprisonment, usually approximating to fifteen years 7. a characteristic state or mode of existence: country life is best 8. the length of time that something is active or functioning: the life of a battery 9. a present condition or mode of existence: they are leading a joyous life 10. a biography 11. the sum or course of human events and activities 12. liveliness or high spirits: full of life 13. a source of strength, animation, or vitality: he was the life of the show 14. all living things collectively: there is no life on Mars, marine life 15. a matter of life and death a matter of extreme urgency 16. as large as life Informal real and living 17. not on your life Informal certainly not 18. true to life faithful to reality 19. to the life (of a copy of a painting or drawing) resembling the original exactly [Old English līf]
life (lf)1. The properties or qualities that distinguish living plants and organisms from dead or inanimate matter, including the capacity to grow, metabolize nutrients, respond to stimuli, reproduce, and adapt to the environment. The definitive beginning and end of human life are complex concepts informed by medical, legal, sociological, and religious considerations. 2. Living organisms considered as a group, such as the plants or animals of a given region. |
LifeBiology. the production of living organisms from inanimate matter. Also called spontaneous generation. — abiogenetic, adj. a state or condition in which life is absent. — abiotic, abiotical, adj. a revival or return to a living state after apparent death. — anabiotic, adj. immortality. the study of the chemical processes that take place in living organisms. — biochemist, n. — biochemical, adj. 1. the process by which living organisms develop from other living organisms.
2. the belief that this process is the only way in which living organisms can develop. — biogenetic, biogenic, adj. the science or study of all manner of life and living organisms. — biologist, n. — biological, adj. the destruction of life, as by bacteria. — biolytic, adj. 1. the calculation of the probable extent of human lifespans.
2. the application to biology of mathematical and statistical theory and methods. — biometric, biometrical, adj. that part of the earth’s surface where most forms of life exist, specifically those parts where there is water or atmosphere. Philosophy. the theory or doctrine that all the phenomena of the universe, especially life, can ultimately be explained in terms of physics and chemistry and that the difference between organic and inorganic lies only in degree. Cf. vitalism. — mechanist, n. — mechanistic, adj. ontogeny. — ontogenetic, ontogenetical, adj. the life cycle, development, or developmental history of an organism. Also called ontogenesis. — ontogenic, adj. Biology. the development of an egg or seed without fertilization. Also called unigenesis. — parthenogenetic, adj. the branch of biology that studies the functions and vital processes of living organisms. — physiologist, n. — physiologic, physiological, adj. abiogenesis. asexual reproduction; parthenogenesis. — unigenetic, adj. 1. Philosophy. the doctrine that phenomena are only partly controlled by mechanistic forces and are in some measure self-determining.
2. Biology. the doctrine that the life in living organisms is caused and sustained by a vital principle that is distinct from all physical and chemical forces. Cf. mechanism. — vitalist, n. — vitalistic, adj. Phrenology. 1. the love of life and fear of death.
2. the organ serving as the seat of instincts of self-preservation. 1. Philosophy. a doctrine that the phenomena of life are controlled by a vital principle, as Bergson’s élan vital.
2. a high regard for animal life.
3. a belief in animal magnetism. — zoist, n. — zoistic, adj.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Noun | 1. |  life - a characteristic state or mode of living; "social life"; "city life"; "real life"being, beingness, existence - the state or fact of existing; "a point of view gradually coming into being"; "laws in existence for centuries" ghetto - any segregated mode of living or working that results from bias or stereotyping; "the relative security of the gay ghetto"; "no escape from the ghetto of the typing pool" | | 2. |  life - the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities; "he could no longer cope with the complexities of life"experience - the content of direct observation or participation in an event; "he had a religious experience"; "he recalled the experience vividly" | | 3. | life - the course of existence of an individual; the actions and events that occur in living; "he hoped for a new life in Australia"; "he wanted to live his own life without interference from others"being, beingness, existence - the state or fact of existing; "a point of view gradually coming into being"; "laws in existence for centuries" | | 4. | life - the condition of living or the state of being alive; "while there's life there's hope"; "life depends on many chemical and physical processes"being, beingness, existence - the state or fact of existing; "a point of view gradually coming into being"; "laws in existence for centuries" skin - a person's skin regarded as their life; "he tried to save his skin" | | 5. | life - the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death); "the battery had a short life"; "he lived a long and happy life"period, period of time, time period - an amount of time; "a time period of 30 years"; "hastened the period of time of his recovery"; "Picasso's blue period" birth - the time when something begins (especially life); "they divorced after the birth of the child"; "his election signaled the birth of a new age" demise, dying, death - the time when something ends; "it was the death of all his plans"; "a dying of old hopes" time of life - a period of time during which a person is normally in a particular life state eld, age - a time of life (usually defined in years) at which some particular qualification or power arises; "she was now of school age"; "tall for his eld" | | 6. | life - the period between birth and the present time; "I have known him all his life"period, period of time, time period - an amount of time; "a time period of 30 years"; "hastened the period of time of his recovery"; "Picasso's blue period" past - a earlier period in someone's life (especially one that they have reason to keep secret); "reporters dug into the candidate's past" | | 7. | life - the period from the present until death; "he appointed himself emperor for life"period, period of time, time period - an amount of time; "a time period of 30 years"; "hastened the period of time of his recovery"; "Picasso's blue period" days, years - the time during which someone's life continues; "the monarch's last days"; "in his final years" | | 8. | life - a living person; "his heroism saved a life" | | 9. | life - animation and energy in action or expression; "it was a heavy play and the actors tried in vain to give life to it"pertness - quality of being lively and confident; "there was a pertness about her that attracted him" alacrity, briskness, smartness - liveliness and eagerness; "he accepted with alacrity"; "the smartness of the pace soon exhausted him" vim, muscularity, vigor, vigour, energy - an imaginative lively style (especially style of writing); "his writing conveys great energy"; "a remarkable muscularity of style" elan - enthusiastic and assured vigor and liveliness; "a performance of great elan and sophistication" esprit - liveliness of mind or spirit irrepressibility, buoyancy - irrepressible liveliness and good spirit; "I admired his buoyancy and persistent good humor" pep, peppiness, ginger - liveliness and energy; "this tonic is guaranteed to give you more pep" | | 10. | life - living things collectively; "the oceans are teeming with life"wildlife - all living things (except people) that are undomesticated; "chemicals could kill all the wildlife" | | 11. | life - the organic phenomenon that distinguishes living organisms from nonliving ones; "there is no life on the moon"biology - characteristic life processes and phenomena of living organisms; "the biology of viruses" aerobiosis - life sustained in the presence of air or oxygen | | 12. | life - an account of the series of events making up a person's lifeaccount, chronicle, history, story - a record or narrative description of past events; "a history of France"; "he gave an inaccurate account of the plot to kill the president"; "the story of exposure to lead" hagiography - a biography that idealizes or idolizes the person (especially a person who is a saint) | | 13. | life - a motive for living; "pottery was his life"motivation, motive, need - the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior; "we did not understand his motivation"; "he acted with the best of motives" | | 14. | life - a prison term lasting as long as the prisoner lives; "he got life for killing the guard"prison term, sentence, time - the period of time a prisoner is imprisoned; "he served a prison term of 15 months"; "his sentence was 5 to 10 years"; "he is doing time in the county jail" |
life noun 2. living things, creatures, wildlife, organisms, living beings noun 5. liveliness, activity, energy, spirit, go ( informal) pep, sparkle, vitality, animation, vigour, verve, zest, high spirits, get-up-and-go ( informal) oomph ( informal) brio, vivacity  Translations life [ pl lives] [laɪf, laɪvz] n → vida; [ of licence etc] → vigencia;
 life [ lives , pl ] [laɪf, laɪvz] n → vie f;
 life [laɪf] [ lives , pl ] n → Leben nt [ of machine etc] → Lebensdauer f; true to life → lebensecht;
 life [laɪf] n [ pl lives] → vita
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