survival

/sərˈvaɪvəl/

/səˈvaɪvəl/

Other forms: survivals

As a wise man once said, “The history of the world, my sweet, is who gets eaten and who gets to eat.” That’s survival in a nutshell. It’s the act of continuing to live, usually when others fail.

As the Bee Gees put it in disco’s heyday — survival means “staying alive.” If you look closely, you’ll spot viv in the middle of survival. That’s part of the Latin verb vivere, meaning “to live.” You might recognize it from words like vivid "lively" and vivacious "full of life." Combine it with sur- (over) and you’ll grasp the essence of survival: to keep existing despite hardship or after others die. Charles Darwin’s term survival of the fittest means that only the best equipped live will reproduce and survive.

Definitions of survival

1. noun

   a state of surviving; remaining alive
   synonyms: endurance

   types:

   subsistence

   a means of surviving

   type of:

   aliveness, animation, life, living

   the condition of living or the state of being alive
2. noun

   a natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms best adapted to the environment
   synonyms: natural selection, selection, survival of the fittest

   type of:

   action, activity, natural action, natural process

   a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings)
3. noun

   something that survives
   types:

   custom, usage, usance

   accepted or habitual practice

   hangover, holdover

   something that has survived from the past

   Americanism

   a custom that is peculiar to the United States or its citizens

   Anglicism, Britishism

   a custom that is peculiar to England or its citizens

   consuetude

   a custom or usage that has acquired the force of law

   couvade

   a tradition in some cultures where a father whose baby is being born acts like he is also in labor

   Germanism

   a custom that is peculiar to Germany or its citizens

   habit, use

   (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition

   hijab

   the custom in some Islamic societies of women dressing modestly outside the home

   rite, ritual

   any customary observance or practice

   type of:

   continuance, continuation

   the act of continuing an activity without interruption