Definition

Noun: - The means of securing the necessities of life: "Livelihood" refers to how a person earns money or obtains the resources required to support their life, such as food, shelter, and clothing. It encompasses a person's job, trade, or other source of income.

Usage

The word "livelihood" is a countable noun. It is used to describe the way a person supports their existence, often emphasizing the source of income rather than the income itself. It is a formal term commonly used in discussions about economics, employment, and social welfare.

Examples

• Noun:
  • Fishing is the main livelihood for people in this coastal village.
  • The new factory provided a livelihood for hundreds of families.
  • Many artists struggle to earn a decent livelihood from their work.

Advanced Usage

• "To earn/gain/make a livelihood": This is the most common collocation, meaning to obtain the means to live.
  • He makes his livelihood as a freelance writer.
• "To threaten/destroy someone's livelihood": To endanger or ruin the source of a person's income.
  • The new regulations could destroy the livelihood of small farmers.
• "Source of livelihood": Explicitly stating what provides the means to live.
  • Tourism is a vital source of livelihood for the island.

Variants and Related Words

• Living (n): A synonym often used interchangeably with "livelihood," though "living" can sound slightly less formal.
  • She earns her living as a teacher.
• Subsistence (n): The action or fact of maintaining or supporting oneself, especially at a minimal level. It often implies barely meeting basic needs.
  • They farm for mere subsistence.

Synonyms

• Occupation: A person's job or profession.
• Vocation: A person's employment or main occupation, especially regarded as worthy and requiring dedication.
• Sustenance: The maintaining of someone or something in life or existence (can refer to food/drink or financial support).

Phrases and Collocations

• Means of livelihood: Another way to say "source of livelihood."
  • Agriculture is their primary means of livelihood.
• Secure a livelihood: To establish a reliable way of earning a living.
  • He moved to the city to secure a better livelihood.

Idioms

• "To be one's bread and butter": This idiom is related, meaning a person's main source of income or livelihood.
  • Teaching music is his bread and butter. (It is his primary livelihood.)

Noun

1. the financial means whereby one lives
   • each child was expected to pay for their keep
   • he applied to the state for support
   • he could no longer earn his own livelihood