Meanings
nounsurvivor (plural survivors)
plural survivors · alternative obsolete surviver · alternative obsolete survivour
- One who survives, especially one who survives a traumatic experience.
From this moment on, I choose to live not as a victim, but as a survivor.
1 more example
Believing that requires trust, and trust is understandably a tough issue for those of us who are survivors.
1984 August 18, Pam Mitchell, “We Must Not Silence Our Lives”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 6, page 9 - figurativelyA person who is able to endure hardship.
I'm a survivor. We're a dying breed.
2007, Xavier: Renegade Angel, season 1, episode 1, spoken by Xavier (Vernon Chatman)Synonyms: trooper, tough cookie
- One who knew a specific decedent.
She was from a large family and had many friends, so the funeral was crowded with mourning survivors.
1 more example
They left no immediate survivors.
2025 November 19, Clay Risen, “Alice and Ellen Kessler, ’60s Singing Sensations, Die at 89”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person who is able to endure hardship.
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More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*úp
- Proto-Indo-European*upér
- Proto-Italic*super
- Latinsuper
- Latinsuper-
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷeyh₃-
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷih₃wós
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷíh₃weti
- Proto-Italic*gʷīwō
- Latinvīvō
- Latinsupervīvere
- Englishsurvive
- Englishsurvivor
Translations
Bulgarian оцеля́л
- оцеля́л (oceljál)one who survives
Catalan supervivent
- superviventone who survives
Chinese Mandarin 幸存者, 堅韌的人 /坚韧的人
- 幸存者 (xìngcúnzhě)one who survives
- 堅韌的人 /坚韧的人 (jiānrèn de rén)person who is able to endure hardship
- 故人之親友 /故人之亲友 (gùrén zhī qīnyǒu)one who knew a specific decedent
Dutch overlevende, overlever
- overlevendeone who survives
- overleverperson who is able to endure hardship
- nabestaandeone who knew a specific decedent
Esperanto supervivinto
- supervivintoone who survives
Finnish selviytyjä, selviytynyt
- selviytyjäone who survives
- selviytynytone who survives
- selviytyjäperson who is able to endure hardship
- jälkeenjäänytone who knew a specific decedent
French survivant, survivante
- survivantone who survives
- survivanteone who survives
- rescapéone who survives
- rescapéeone who survives
German Überlebender, Überlebende
- Überlebenderone who survives
- Überlebendeone who survives
- Überlebenskünstlerperson who is able to endure hardship
- harter Knochenperson who is able to endure hardship
Greek επιζών, επιβιωθητής
- επιζών (epizón)one who survives
- επιβιωθητής (epiviothitís)one who survives
Hindi उत्तरजीवी
- उत्तरजीवी (uttarjīvī)one who survives
Hungarian túlélő
- túlélőone who survives
Indonesian penyintas
- penyintasone who survives
Italian superstite, sopravvissuto
- superstiteone who survives
- sopravvissutoone who survives
Japanese 生存者, 生き残り
- 生存者 (sēzonsha)one who survives
- 生き残り (ikinokori)one who survives
Korean 생존자
- 생존자 (saengjonja)one who survives
Latin superstes
- superstesone who survives
Māori makorea, mokorea
- makoreaone who survives
- mokoreaone who survives
- toioraone who survives
- mōrehurehuone who survives
- mōrehuone who survives
- pūtoetoeone who survives
- tūoraone who survives
Norwegian Bokmål overlever
- overleverone who survives
Persian بازمانده
- بازمانده (bâzmânde)one who survives
Polish ocalały, ocalała
- ocalałyone who survives
- ocalałaone who survives
Portuguese sobrevivente
- sobreviventeone who survives
Romanian supraviețuitor
- supraviețuitorone who survives
Russian вы́живший, оста́вшийся в живы́х
- вы́живший (výživšij)one who survives
- оста́вшийся в живы́х (ostávšijsja v živýx)one who survives
- уцеле́вший (ucelévšij)one who survives
- знако́мый умершего (znakómyj)one who knew a specific decedent
Scottish Gaelic neach-tàrrsainn
- neach-tàrrsainnone who survives
Spanish sobreviviente, superviviente
- sobrevivienteone who survives
- supervivienteone who survives
- pervivienteone who survives
- supérstiteone who knew a specific decedent
- supervivienteone who knew a specific decedent
- sobrevivienteone who knew a specific decedent
Swahili nusura
- nusuraone who survives
Swedish överlevare, överlevande
- överlevareone who survives
- överlevandeone who survives
- efterlevandeone who knew a specific decedent
Ukrainian уцілі́вший, той, хто ви́жив
- уцілі́вший (ucilívšyj)one who survives
- той, хто ви́жив (toj, xto výžyv)one who survives
- той, хто лиши́вся живи́м (toj, xto lyšývsja žyvým)one who survives
Vietnamese người sống sót
- người sống sótone who survives
Welsh goroeswr
- goroeswrone who survives
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with survivor
riverdriverliverdiverIvoriverfiverMcIvorstuiverearth-diverimpact driverowner-driverskiverspider diver
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
survivor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/survivor
MLA
“survivor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/survivor. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “survivor,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/survivor.
Source: survivor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.