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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective alive contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of alive are awake, aware, cognizant, conscious, and sensible. While all these words mean "having knowledge of something," alive adds to sensible the implication of acute sensitivity to something.

alive to the thrill of danger

When could awake be used to replace alive?

In some situations, the words awake and alive are roughly equivalent. However, awake implies that one has become alive to something and is on the alert.

a country always awake to the threat of invasion

Where would aware be a reasonable alternative to alive?

While in some cases nearly identical to alive, aware implies vigilance in observing or alertness in drawing inferences from what one experiences.

aware of changes in climate

When would cognizant be a good substitute for alive?

While the synonyms cognizant and alive are close in meaning, cognizant implies having special or certain knowledge as from firsthand sources.

not fully cognizant of the facts

When can conscious be used instead of alive?

The words conscious and alive can be used in similar contexts, but conscious implies that one is focusing one's attention on something or is even preoccupied by it.

conscious that my heart was pounding

When is sensible a more appropriate choice than alive?

Although the words sensible and alive have much in common, sensible implies direct or intuitive perceiving especially of intangibles or of emotional states or qualities.

sensible of a teacher's influence

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of alive Biden administration officials late last year said Tice, a freelance journalist who disappeared near Damascus in August 2012, is alive, though officials have not produced any direct evidence to support that claim. Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 20 Jan. 2025 Despite years of uncertainty and denials from Syria's government, Debra Tice maintains her son is alive. Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025 With these number one songs and this album more broadly, Bad Bunny made bold moves to try to reshape that market, a true investment in the future of young Puerto Rican musicians who are keeping cultural traditions alive. Vanessa Diaz, Rolling Stone, 20 Jan. 2025 Though theatrical comedies have been an endangered breed, Sony is one of the rare major studios to keep the genre alive — and it’s done so by keeping costs in line with the realities of the marketplace. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 19 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for alive 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alive
Adjective
  • Under Proposition 309, voters casting mail-in ballots could provide a driver's license or non-operating identification license number, the last four digits of a social security number, or a unique identifying number provided by the secretary of state for voter registration purposes.
    Arlyssa D. Becenti, The Arizona Republic, 27 Oct. 2022
  • The adjusted net income decreased by 8% y-o-y to $3.9 billion in the first nine months of 2022 due to higher expenses as a % of revenues and lower non-operating income.
    Trefis Team, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2023
Adjective
  • Professional Service Providers – Professionals including lawyers, accountants, insurance and benefits brokers, investor relations firms and financial printers may be aware of their client companies’ open CFO positions.
    Steven Wasserman, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
  • But slang can also be used to demean, bully, or belittle others, so parents should be aware of trendy lingo their kids are using in their day-to-day life.
    Kara Nesvig, Parents, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The live broadcast will air on E! and be made available the following day on Peacock, allowing domestic and international audiences to tune in.
    Clayton Davis, Variety, 15 Jan. 2025
  • Participants are encouraged to bring concrete, live projects from their organizations, which are then actively discussed and refined throughout the program.
    ESMT Berlin, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • While Musk was busy rubbing elbows with other billionaires at the event — namely, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Bezos' fiancée, Lauren Sanchez — all eyes were on Musk and Zilis' interaction, as the two keep their exact relationship status private.
    Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025
  • What is the key to successfully managing you busy daily schedule?
    Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Advertisement Despite the harrowing circumstances, employees kept the 88-year-old institution operational throughout the disaster, in some cases putting decades worth of worst-case emergency training to use for the first time.
    Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
  • This can lead to long-term operational disruptions and power outages, affecting local or regional energy supplies.
    Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The 1846 daguerreotype, which captured her in her 70s, is by photographer John Plumbe Jr., who would also create the earliest extant image of the U.S. Capitol in 1846.
    Roger Catlin, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Way, way, way back then and now Given its physical characteristics, the researchers think that Y. yuanshi displays features of both extinct and extant arthropods.
    Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 11 Aug. 2024
Adjective
  • Your business should excite your customers, frustrate your competitors and animate and motivate your people.
    Jeffrey Russell, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
  • Photo : Paul Barnaby Robert Longo photographs animate the entry foyer.
    Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Other photographers across the city, known for its thriving creative community, are lending their skills in similar ways.
    Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Over the years, the school has grown from a small institution into a thriving educational complex serving almost 1,000 students in grades 6-12.
    Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near alive

Cite this Entry

“Alive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alive. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on alive

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