quality of life

noun phrase

: overall enjoyment of life : general well-being

… the male characters on the show not only have a better chance of survival; they're also more likely to improve their quality of life through friendship.

—Juliet Lapidos

specifically : the degree to which a person or group is healthy, comfortable, and able to enjoy the activities of daily living

Migraine is a common disorder that can severely affect patients' quality of life and daily function.

—New England Journal of Medicine

—often hyphenated when used before another noun

A number of recent surveys have identified noise as New York City's greatest quality-of-life issue.

—Tom Vanderbilt

—abbreviation QOL

Examples of quality of life in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This technology is currently primarily aimed at helping restore quality of life for patients who’ve suffered things like spinal cord injuries, paralysis, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or stroke damage. —Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 14 Mar. 2026

Surgery should typically be reserved for severe cases in which floaters substantially impair daily function or quality of life, Starr noted. —Cathy Nelson, Health, 13 Mar. 2026

Not surprisingly, many Southern cities ranked among the nation's top 25 places to live for quality of life. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026

Those changes matter deeply to quality of life. —Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for quality of life

• afterlife
• pocketknife
• alewife
• birdlife
• folklife
• housewife
• jackknife
• loosestrife
• midlife
• midwife
• nightlife
• penknife