survival
n.-
1 staying alive (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatethe state of continuing to live through a dangerous or difficult time.
the state or fact of continuing to live or exist, especially after a life-threatening event or within a harsh environment.
ExampleThe hikers carried a small kit to help with their survival in the mountains.
ExampleThe doctors were amazed by his survival after he spent three days trapped under the rubble of the collapsed building.
UsageOften used as an uncountable noun or as an attributive noun in phrases like 'survival skills'.
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2 staying in a league (n.) B2 Upper Intermediate British English Sportwhen a sports team manages to stay in the same league instead of being moved to a lower one.
the avoidance of relegation or demotion to a lower division in a competitive sports league.
ExampleThe team needs a win in their final game to ensure their survival in the top league.
ExampleThe club's survival was finally secured on the last day of the season thanks to a late goal from their captain.
UsageCommonly used in the context of professional football leagues.
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3 cultural persistence (n.) C2 Proficiency Academic Technical Sciencea custom or belief from the past that people still follow, even if they forgot why it started.
a vestigial cultural trait, custom, or belief that has persisted from an earlier stage of society despite losing its original function.
ExampleSaying 'bless you' after a sneeze is a survival from a time when people feared for their souls.
ExampleAnthropologists often study these folk traditions as survivals of pre-industrial social structures that no longer serve a practical purpose.
UsageIn this sense, the noun is typically countable.
From survive + -al.