survival
survival — adjective
1. connected with the act of staying alive or the effort to remain alive when condi
connected with the act of staying alive or the effort to remain alive when conditions are difficult
Hamza packed a small survival kit before his hike through the canyon.
collocation: survival kit
The lost hikers went into survival mode, rationing their food and water carefully.
collocation: survival mode
Tara took a survival course before her solo trip to the Arctic region.
collocation: survival course
Yan keeps a survival blanket and a whistle inside his car at all times.
collocation: survival blanket
- survival kit
- survival mode
- survival skills
- survival instinct
- survival course
- survival gear
Grammar Patterns
survival + noun
Usage Note
This adjective form is always used before a noun — you can say 'survival skills' but not 'the skills are survival'.
survival — noun
1. the condition of staying alive or remaining in existence, particularly when ther
the condition of staying alive or remaining in existence, particularly when there is danger, difficulty, or major change
The survival of the mountain village depends on the winter rains filling the reservoirs.
pattern: survival of + noun phrase
Doctors gave Henry a sixty percent chance of survival after the complicated surgery.
collocation: chance of survival
Small independent bookshops often struggle for survival when large chains dominate the market.
collocation: struggle for survival
Gabriel sees learning English fluently as essential for survival in his global career.
metaphorical use in career context
- fight for survival
- chance of survival
- survival rate
- struggle for survival
- a matter of survival
- key to survival
- existence
more neutral, less dramatic; lacking the connotation of danger or difficulty
- continuation
more formal, used for abstract entities like traditions or institutions
- extinction
the opposite of survival for a species, language, or tradition
Grammar Patterns
survival of + noun phrase
Usage Note
Usually uncountable. Very common in fixed phrases such as 'fight for survival', 'a matter of survival', and 'chances of survival'.
Common Mistakes
2. something from the past — a thing, habit, or tradition — that has lasted into th
something from the past — a thing, habit, or tradition — that has lasted into the present
This hand-woven basket is a survival from the indigenous weaving traditions of the region.
pattern: a survival from
The summer solstice festival is a survival of ancient harvest celebrations from centuries ago.
pattern: a survival of
Linguists study these rare dialects as survivals of older forms of the regional language.
countable plural: survivals of
The wooden plough on display is a survival of medieval farming methods in this museum.
pattern: a survival of + noun phrase
- a survival from
- a survival of
- cultural survival
- historical survival
Grammar Patterns
a survival from + time period
a survival of + old practice
Usage Note
Countable — you can say 'a survival' or 'survivals'. Often appears in academic or historical writing about traditions, objects, or language features.
3. the evolutionary idea that living things which are best suited to their surround
the evolutionary idea that living things which are best suited to their surroundings are the most likely to live long enough to reproduce
Darwin argued that survival of the fittest drives evolution over millions of years.
fixed phrase: survival of the fittest
In the competitive world of technology start-ups, it often feels like survival of the fittest.
metaphorical use outside biology
Island bird species show how survival of the fittest shapes body and beak size.
biological example with concrete traits
Some critics say modern capitalism has become a system of survival of the fittest.
metaphorical use: economic system
- survival of the fittest
- theory of evolution
- natural selection
Grammar Patterns
survival of the fittest
Usage Note
Nearly always appears in the fixed phrase 'survival of the fittest'. Can be used outside biology to describe any fiercely competitive situation.
The idea that the strongest or best-suited living things are the ones that keep living.
In the jungle, the survival of the fittest decides which animals thrive.
Maya believes that business is all about the survival of the fittest.
Word family
Common collocations
Phrases
- a matter of survival
- fight for survival
- struggle for survival
- survival of the fittest
Prepositions
- survival from
- survival of
Etymology
The word 'survival' traces back to the Latin verb 'supervivere', which combines 'super' (meaning 'over, beyond') with 'vivere' (meaning 'to live'). It passed through Anglo-Norman French as 'survivre', entered Middle English as 'surviven', and later the suffix '-al' was added to form the noun meaning 'the act of surviving'. The phrase 'survival of the fittest' was coined by the British philosopher Herbert Spencer in 1864 after reading Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species'.