alive
- 01 B1 Intermediate
full of people, animals, or energy moving around.
teeming or swarming with activity or life; often used with the preposition 'with'.
Simple“The forest was alive with the sound of birds singing in the early morning.”
In context“By mid-afternoon, the market square was alive with vendors shouting their prices and tourists weaving through the narrow stalls.”
UsageCommonly follows the pattern 'alive with [something]'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
still continuing to exist or happen.
remaining in force, operation, or existence; not yet terminated or forgotten.
Simple“The old tradition is still alive in some small mountain villages.”
In context“Despite the shift toward digital media, the debate over the importance of printed books remains very much alive among educators.”
Teacher's tipOften used to describe ideas, hopes, or traditions that have survived over time.
- 03 C1 Advanced
noticing or understanding something important.
fully aware of or sensitive to a specific fact, danger, or opportunity.
Simple“You need to be alive to the risks before you start a new business.”
In context“The board of directors is keenly alive to the possibility of a hostile takeover and has prepared several defensive strategies.”
UsageUsually followed by the preposition 'to'.
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
having electricity flowing through it.
connected to a source of voltage; energized or carrying an electric current.
Simple“Be careful because that wire is alive and could give you a shock.”
In context“The technician used a multimeter to confirm whether the circuit was still alive before attempting to replace the faulty capacitor.”
Teacher's tipIn everyday British English, 'live' is more common for wires, but 'alive' is used in technical safety contexts.
Usage alive today
From Middle English alive, alife, olive, olife, on live, on life, from Old English on līfe (“alive”, literally “in life" or "in (the) body”), from on (“on, in”) + līfe, dative singular of līf (“life”). In this sense, replaced Old English cwic (whence English quick). Equivalent to a- + life. Compare Dutch in leven (“alive”, literally “in life”), German am Leben (“alive”, literally “at life" or "at living”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.