Definition of: alive

(ə·līv′) adjective
1. In a living state, or a state in which the organs perform their functions; having life: said of organisms: opposed to dead.
2. In action, motion, or existence; in force, or operation; in full vigor.
3. In lively action; in an animated state; sprightly: alive with enthusiasm.
4. In a condition of attentiveness, sensitiveness, or susceptibility; open to impressions.
5. Abounding in life or living things, or in evidences of life: The hive was alive with bees. [OE on līfe in life] Synonyms: active, alert, animate, animated, breathing, brisk, existent, existing, live, lively, living, quick, subsisting, vivacious. Alive applies to all degrees of life, from that which shows one to be barely existing or existent as a living thing, as when we say he is barely alive, to that which implies the utmost of vitality and power. So the word quick, which began by signifying “having life,” is now mostly applied to energy of life as shown in swiftness of action. Breathing is capable of like contrast. We say of a dying man, “he is still breathing”; or we speak of a breathing statue, where we mean having, or seeming to have breath and life. Compare ACTIVE, ALERT, NIMBLE. Antonyms: dead, deceased, defunct, dispirited, dull, inanimate, lifeless, spiritless.