1
2
3
4
5

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 While cold-stunned, iguanas remain alive but immobile, posing potential hazards to unsuspecting people and vehicles. Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025 The script for this week has been baked in a binder longer than many White House aides idling by the many motorcades have been alive. Philip Elliott, TIME, 9 Jan. 2025 Though bean pie is sold mostly by Nation of Islam members who follow Minister Louis Farrakhan, there are also Black Sunni Muslims who bake them and keep the legacy alive. Ahmed Ali Akbar, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2025 That was the last time Harris was seen alive, police said. Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 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
  • Motivated people who are aware of their choice come to us.
    Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 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
  • What's Next Drake is headlining his seventh live music tour, which begins on February 4 in Perth, Australia.
    Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 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
  • As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office in just over a week, the returning commander in chief has scheduled a busy weekend of meetings with House Republicans to discuss policy priorities for the incoming administration.
    Cami Mondeaux, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 Jan. 2025
  • Not many pieces require such heroics: the reality is that fact checkers are busy people, who traffic only occasionally in the dark arts of deep research.
    Fergus McIntosh, The New Yorker, 11 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
  • Direct File operational costs were an extra $2.4 million, according to the agency.
    Kate Dore, CFP®, EA, CNBC, 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
  • Photo : Paul Barnaby Robert Longo photographs animate the entry foyer.
    Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 22 Dec. 2024
  • Toward the end, the story begins to shift perspective, first from Gabriel to his friend June, then to Thornton, and finally to the animate natural world around them.
    Dennis Zhou, The New Yorker, 15 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
  • Despite some corruption scandals and disruptive strikes during those decades, unions helped millions of workers join a broad and thriving middle class.
    Peter Georgescu, Forbes, 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 21 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on alive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!