What does outlived mean?
Outlive means to live longer than someone else or to continue existing beyond a specified time, event, or stage. It can describe a person or animal surviving another, such as in the sentence “She outlived her older brother,” but it also applies to works, traditions, institutions, and ideas. A book may outlive its author, a company may outlive a market boom, or a song may outlive the fashion that introduced it. The word often implies a striking contrast: the subject endures after something else associated with it has ended or vanished. Its figurative uses are especially common and convey durability, persistence, and lasting relevance. Outlive is the past tense and past participle of the verb outlive.
verbTo live longer than someone or something, or to remain in existence beyond a particular time, period, or event. It can also mean to continue to be relevant or useful after another person or thing has ended or disappeared.
- To live longer than another person or thing.
- To continue to exist beyond a particular time, period, or event.
- To remain relevant, useful, or influential after something else has ended.
"Her music has outlived the trends that first made her popular."
"The old oak tree outlived several generations of the village."
"The novel outlived the era in which it was written and became a lasting classic."
To outlive something is to survive not only its end, but sometimes its influence as well.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does outlived come from?
Outlive is formed from the prefix out- and the verb live, both of which are inherited from Old English. The sense of living beyond another person or thing developed from the literal meaning of exceeding another lifespan. Its figurative uses, referring to things that persist beyond an expected period or influence, developed later and are now among the word’s most common applications.
Related word forms
How outlived is actually used
The word is formal and often conveys the idea of lasting beyond an expected endpoint. It is commonly used in figurative contexts to describe ideas, traditions, works, or institutions continuing to have an effect.
Easily confused with outlived
Outlive usually refers to surviving beyond another person or the duration of something, while outlast more often means to remain in existence or use for longer than an event, period, or competing thing.