Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person or animal that continues to live or exist, especially after a dangerous event or situation: A "survivor" is someone or something that remains alive after an event that has killed others.
   • A person who continues to live after the death of a particular person: A "survivor" can refer to someone who outlives another individual, often used in legal contexts regarding inheritance.
   • A person who manages to cope with or endure a difficult experience: A "survivor" is also someone who lives through a period of great hardship or affliction.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • She was the sole survivor of the plane crash.
  • The insurance money was distributed among the deceased's survivors.
  • As a cancer survivor, he volunteers to support newly diagnosed patients.

Advanced Usage

• "Survivor guilt": A deep feeling of guilt often experienced by those who have survived a traumatic event in which others died.

  • Many soldiers returning from war struggle with survivor guilt.

• "Survivor's benefit": A payment made to the family members of a deceased person, typically from a pension or insurance plan.

  • His widow receives a monthly survivor's benefit.

Variants and Related Words

• Survive (verb): To continue to live or exist, especially in spite of danger or hardship.

  • Few plants can survive in the desert.

• Survival (noun): The state or fact of continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of difficult conditions.

  • Basic first aid knowledge is crucial for survival in the wilderness.

• Survivorship (noun): The state of being a survivor; also a legal right (e.g., survivorship clause in a joint tenancy).

  • The property passed to her brother by right of survivorship.

Synonyms

• Remnant: A small remaining quantity of something; often used for people in a group that remains.
• Holdout: A person who continues to resist or survive in a difficult situation.

Related Phrases

• Survivor of the fittest: A phrase derived from "survival of the fittest," referring to the continued existence of organisms best adapted to their environment.
  • In the harsh economic climate, it was a case of survivor of the fittest among small businesses.

Related Idioms

• A survivor, not a victim: An expression emphasizing resilience and agency after trauma, focusing on strength rather than passive suffering.
  • After the attack, she chose to identify as a survivor, not a victim.

Noun

1. an animal that survives in spite of adversity
   • only the fittest animals were survivors of the cold winters
2. one who outlives another
   • he left his farm to his survivors
3. one who lives through affliction
   • the survivors of the fire were taken to a hospital