Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to live with uncertainty

to live with uncertainty

4.6
Continue without knowing what will happen next
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : vivir con incertidumbre

Examples

  • "Meanwhile, we're going to have to live with uncertainty and forgetfulness and not let it make us crazy.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • We live with uncertainty.

    Vanity Fair (2004)

  • In today's world, everyone must learn to live with uncertainty regarding the future of their careers.

  • During the pandemic, many families had to live with uncertainty about their health and finances.

  • To enjoy life fully, you need to live with uncertainty rather than worry about what might happen next.

How Comfortable

to live with uncertainty
4.6
worry
290 1.0
to panic
272 2.3

Surface Forms

live with uncertainty infinitive
lived with uncertainty past
lived with uncertainty past participle
living with uncertainty present participle
lives with uncertainty third person singular

Morphology

live + with + uncertainty

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'live' (to continue to exist) with 'with' (together/accompanied by) and 'uncertainty' (not knowing); the pattern 'live with X' commonly means to coexist or cope with X. This compositional, cross-linguistically common construction makes the phrase immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

The phrase live with uncertainty paints a simple image: imagine you live in a house surrounded by a thick fog called uncertainty, so you cannot see what will come next and must keep going. That's why it means 'to keep living even when you do not know what will happen'.