Meaning & use
alternative lifestyle
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A way of living that differs from the usual habits, values or social patterns of most people in a society.
Grammar: Countable: she chose an alternative lifestyle; many alternative lifestyles exist.
Patterns
- choose an alternative lifestyle
- live an alternative lifestyle
They left the city for an alternative lifestyle on a self-sufficient farm.
The festival attracts people who follow an alternative lifestyle.
Some choose an alternative lifestyle to escape the pressure of consumerism.
nouncountableold-fashioned
A phrase sometimes used, often in older writing, for a way of life outside traditional family or relationship norms.
Grammar: Countable; can sound dated or evasive, so more specific wording is often better.
Older articles often used alternative lifestyle as a vague phrase.
The term alternative lifestyle is now seen by many as imprecise.
Word forms
| plural | alternative lifestyles |
|---|
Common combinations
- choose an alternative lifestyle
- He chose an alternative lifestyle after quitting his job.
- live an alternative lifestyle
- They live an alternative lifestyle in a small commune.
- embrace an alternative lifestyle
- She embraced an alternative lifestyle full of travel.
- alternative lifestyle community
- An alternative lifestyle community formed in the hills.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unconventional lifestyle
- Unconventional lifestyle is more descriptive and makes no claim about being a deliberate alternative.
- counterculture
- Counterculture is a whole movement that opposes mainstream values, not just one way of living.
- bohemian lifestyle
- Bohemian lifestyle suggests artistic, carefree living, which alternative lifestyle does not specifically imply.
Opposites
Word family
- alternative adjective
- different from the usual
- alternatively adverb
- as another option
- lifestyle noun
- the way someone lives
Commonly confused: alternative lifestyle or alternate lifestyle?
alternative lifestyle vs alternate lifestyle
Alternate means taking turns, while alternative means a different option, so alternative lifestyle is the standard phrase.
Practice
After years in finance, she adopted an ______ and moved to an off-grid cabin.
Choose one answer.
Alternative lifestyle is the standard phrase for a different way of living. The other options misuse alternate or lifetime.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “alternative lifestyle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.