Meaning & use
secure life
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
A way of living in which your basic needs are met and you feel safe and free from serious worry.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; it usually follows verbs like have, want, or build and often takes a possessive: her secure life, a secure life for the family.
Patterns
- have a secure life
- want a secure life
- build a secure life
- a secure life for someone
After years of moving between rented rooms, they finally had a secure life in a small house of their own.
Many young workers say they want a secure life more than a high salary.
A steady job and savings gave her a secure life after her parents retired.
phrasefixed phrase
A life that is protected from danger, harm, or attack.
Grammar: Used mainly in writing about soldiers, refugees, or people in dangerous places; the focus here is physical safety rather than money.
Patterns
- lead a secure life
- a secure life away from danger
The charity helps families rebuild a secure life away from the fighting.
Soldiers often dream of a secure life once their service ends.
Common combinations
- a secure life
- They saved for years to have a secure life.
- financially secure life
- A financially secure life was her main goal.
- build a secure life
- The couple worked hard to build a secure life together.
- want a secure life
- He wants a secure life with a steady income.
- a secure life for the family
- The new job offered a secure life for the family.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stable life
- Focuses on things not changing suddenly; use it when the main idea is steadiness rather than protection from harm.
- safe life
- Emphasizes freedom from danger; it says less about money or housing than secure life does.
- settled life
- Suggests living in one place with a fixed routine; it does not necessarily mean you are financially protected.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: secure life or safe life? secure life or secure livelihood?
secure life vs safe life
Safe life is about avoiding danger; secure life usually also includes having enough money and a stable home.
secure life vs secure livelihood
A livelihood is the way you earn money; a secure life is the wider, more general idea of living safely and steadily.
Practice
Which sentence uses "secure life" most naturally?
Choose one answer.
"Built a secure life" fits because the phrase describes a safe, steady way of living, often achieved over time. Option 3 fails because "secure" is being used as a verb with the wrong object and word order, and option 4 contradicts the meaning of security.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “secure life”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.