Meanings
plural lifeways
- Canada and US or puristic; otherwise archaic; Canada and US or puristic; otherwise archaicOne's path through life; a lifestyle or behaviour, now especially when seen as traditional.
And as under colonialism, in most cases ‘traditional’ values and lifeways were treated as a barrier to economic growth and social progress, and were often purposefully eradicated.
2017, Jason Hickel, “Neoliberalism Comes Home”, in The Divide […] , London: William Heinemann, →ISBNSynonyms: lifestyle, way of life
Synonyms & antonyms
nounOne's path through life; a lifestyle or behaviour, now especially when seen as traditional.
Origin
- Old Englishlīfweġ
- Middle English*lif-wei
- Englishlifeway
From Middle English *lif-wei (attested as lifes wege, lives wegas), from Old English līfweġ. By surface analysis, life + way.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
lifeway. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lifeway
“lifeway.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lifeway. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lifeway,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lifeway.
Source: lifeway on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.