Meanings
nounsubsistence level (plural subsistence levels)
plural subsistence levels
- The threshold of income at which one's most basic necessities of survival are met.
Most families in the village are barely on the subsistence level.
Synonyms: poverty line, breadline
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe threshold of income at which one's most basic necessities of survival are met.
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Cite this entry
APA
subsistence level. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subsistence%20level
MLA
“subsistence level.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subsistence%20level. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “subsistence level,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subsistence%20level.
Source: subsistence level on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.