survivorship

noun

sur·​vi·​vor·​ship sər-ˈvī-vər-ˌship 

1

: the legal right of the survivor of persons having joint interests in property to take the interest of the person who has died

2

: the state of being a survivor : survival

3

: the probability of surviving to a particular age

also : the number or proportion of survivors (as of an age group or population)

Examples of survivorship in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Please share your cancer survivorship story using the form below. —NPR, 8 Jan. 2025

Assets that are titled properly (such as joint with rights of survivorship) or that have a beneficiary named, will not be subject to your will or probate as a result. —Lawrence D. Sprung, Founder/wealth Advisor At Mitlin Financial, Inc., CNBC, 7 Jan. 2025

Key considerations include: Ownership Structures: Property owned jointly with right of survivorship usually transfers to the surviving spouse without going through probate. —James Brewer, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024

In a world seen through the forgiving lens of survivorship bias, most mutual funds and tech stocks may be above average. —IEEE Spectrum, 29 Oct. 2010

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

survivorship

noun

sur·​vi·​vor·​ship -ˈvī-vər-ˌship 

1

: the state of being a survivor

quality of life in long-term survivorship (five years or longer) of patients who have experienced breast cancer

2

: the probability of surviving to a particular age

also : the number or proportion of survivors (as of an age group)

Legal Definition

survivorship

noun

sur·​vi·​vor·​ship

1

: the right of one or more joint tenants who have survived another to take the interest of the person who has died

2

: the state of being a survivor