Meaning & use

livelihood

noun·Academic

A means of earning the money needed to live, especially through work or a particular occupation.

See it in a sentence

Fishing has been the family's livelihood for three generations along this coast.

The drought destroyed the crops that were the villagers' main livelihood.

A note on using this word

Emphasizes the source of sustenance rather than the job title itself, so it pairs naturally with verbs like earn or lose.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Make it your own

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