# living death

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/living-death
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A condition of suffering, solitude, or impairment so extreme as to deprive one's existence of all happiness and meaning.

## Examples

- For the prisoner, his lonely life felt like a living death.
- After the accident left him unable to move or speak, he described his existence as a living death.
- Trapped in a cycle of endless, repetitive labor with no hope for change, the worker found his daily routine to be a living death.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.