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livelihood

livelihood

99 3.5
A way of earning money to pay for basic needs
  • noun
  • /ˈlaɪvlihʊd/
translation icon : medio de vida
  • Community participants made positive assessments of the Sundarbans as a valuable community livelihood source and wildlife resource.
  • means of livelihood
  • secure a livelihood
  • a source of livelihood

It killed the lives and livelihoods of billions of people.

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Examples

  • Further action is necessary to develop appropriate alternative livelihood options in the Sundarbans.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Plant closures in such cases will destroy the livelihood of entire rural communities.

    Academic text (1992)
  • But it's like, it's me, it's my livelihood, it's my health, it's everything.

  • Moving to towns in search of relief or alternative livelihood became common practice.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Concrete losses include homes, livelihood, country of birth, and loved ones.

    Academic text (2011)
  • They understand that their entire livelihood is connected to this factory making a profit.

  • In Pakistan, dairy goats are the main livelihood source for poor farmers.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Community participants viewed livelihood security through co-management as a way to achieve sustainability.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Some people have also lost their job or had their livelihoods substantially curtailed.

  • In Pakistan, dairy goats are the main livelihood source for poor farmers.

Synonyms

living
vslivelihood
922 2.3

Money someone earns to support themselves

focuses on earning necessities through work rather than general resources
business
vslivelihood
696 1.3

The work a person does to earn money

focuses on the means of securing necessities rather than the job
keep
vslivelihood
16 5.5

Money or food needed to live

emphasizes earning necessities through work more than general costs or support
bread and butter
vslivelihood
  • Informal
16 3.0

The main way a person earns money

applies to any means of securing necessities rather than only main income
sustenance
vslivelihood
4 6.4

Money or work that helps you live

emphasizes earning money through work rather than any means of support

Antonyms

673 2.3

A time when people do not have paid jobs and look for work

550 2.0

A situation of having very little money and few things

How Much

prosperity
195 3.7
sustenance
4 6.4
livelihood
99 3.5
subsistence
16 6.6
poverty
550 2.0
destitution
7 7.9

Surface Forms

livelihood singular
livelihoods plural

Morphology

livelihood = live (transparent) = live + hood

The noun is a standard formation from 'live/living' with the suffix '-hood' denoting a state or condition, yielding the meaning 'means or condition of living'.

Etymology

The word livelihood comes from live plus the old ending -hood, which meant 'state' and appears in words like childhood and neighborhood. So livelihood is the 'state of living', meaning the way you earn the money and things you need to live.