Subsistence is the condition of just having enough food or money to stay alive.
...below the subsistence level.
The standard of living today is on the edge of subsistence.
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
In subsistence farming or subsistence agriculture, farmers produce food to eat themselves rather than to sell.
Many black Namibians are subsistence farmers who live in the arid borderlands.
More Synonyms of subsistence
subsistence in British English
(səbˈsɪstəns)
noun
1.
the means by which one maintains life
2.
the act or condition of subsisting
3.
a thing that has real existence
4.
the state of being inherent
5. philosophy
an inferior mode of being ascribed to the references of general terms which do not in fact exist
See also nonbeing
subsistence in American English
(səbˈsɪstəns)
noun
1.
existence; being; continuance
2.
the act of providing sustenance
3.
means of support or livelihood; often, specif., the barest means in terms of food, clothing, and shelter needed to sustain life
4.
the quality of being inherent
5. Philosophy
a.
the status of something that exists in itself as an individual whole
b.
the status of something whose very act of existing is its essence, as God
c.
the quality of being logically conceivable
Derived forms
subsistent (subˈsistent)
adjective
Word origin
ME < LL(Ec) subsistentia < L subsistere: see subsist
Examples of 'subsistence' in a sentence
subsistence
Many of them are subsistence farmers and live in poverty.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
We will not be reduced to subsistence farming and exporting fish and chips if the banks leave.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
There was no work for young people and families had gone back to subsistence farming.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The disappearance of subsistence farming is deplorable for many reasons.
Dyson, Freeman Infinite in All Directions (1989)
Most still live the subsistence lifestyle that their families have for generations.
The Sun (2008)
Food is provided by subsistence farming.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
They are primarily subsistence farmers, growing maize and other staple crops.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
No, we do not want you to stay as subsistence farmers.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
His father is a retired police constable, who is now a subsistence farmer selling rice.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
He sometimes gives interviews that make it sound as though they're subsistence farmers.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The emphasis on projects to help small-scale producers go beyond mere subsistence farming is increasing.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Most of its 12 million people are dependent on subsistence farming.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
More than half of the population live in rural areas, many relying on subsistence farming.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
As nations emerge from the poverty of subsistence farming, they build heavy industry.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Their earnings brought them almost 30 percent more than the value of the subsistence provided by their former masters.
Garraty, John Arthur The American Nation: A History of the United States to 1877 (1995)
Some farmers made some profits on such crops, but others had to minimize production of basic subsistence foods in favor of meeting commercial quotas.
Stearns, Peter N. World History: Patterns of Change and Continuity (1995)
What works for a barley baron is not right for an African subsistence farmer, and vice versa.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
When it does reach the genuinely needy, it frequently destroys fragile local economies, turning subsistence farmers into beggars.
The Sun (2007)
India wants the trigger volume for safeguard measures to be low, arguing that it needs to protect its subsistence farmers from being priced out of their livelihoods.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He had seized land from the rich and turned many of the masses into subsistence farmers, and for this he was the unrivalled hero of leftist politics.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
subsistence
British English: subsistence NOUN
Subsistence is the condition of just having enough food or money to stay alive.
...below the subsistence level.
American English: subsistence
Brazilian Portuguese: subsistência
Chinese: 生存
European Spanish: subsistencia
French: subsistance
German: Existenz
Italian: sussistenza
Japanese: 最低生活
Korean: 최저 생활
European Portuguese: subsistência
Latin American Spanish: subsistencia
British English: subsistence ADJECTIVE
In subsistence farming or subsistence agriculture, farmers produce food to eat themselves rather than to sell.
Many of them are subsistence farmers who live in the arid borderlands.
American English: subsistence
Brazilian Portuguese: de subsistência
Chinese: 自给自足
European Spanish: de subsistencia
French: de subsistance
German: für den Eigenbedarf
Italian: di sussistenza
Japanese: 自給自足の
Korean: 호구 지책의
European Portuguese: de subsistência
Latin American Spanish: de subsistencia
All related terms of 'subsistence'
subsistence crop
a food plant which is grown by farmers for consumption by themselves and their family, leaving little or nothing to be marketed
subsistence farmer
a farmer who consumes most of the produce he or she grows, leaving little or nothing to be marketed
subsistence level
a standard of living barely adequate to support life
subsistence wage
the lowest wage upon which a worker and his or her family can survive
subsistence allowance
an advance paid to an employee before his or her pay begins
subsistence economy
an economy which produces only enough output for its own consumption and does not attempt to accumulate wealth
subsistence farming
a type of farming in which most of the produce ( subsistence crop ) is consumed by the farmer and his or her family, leaving little or nothing to be marketed
sub
In team games such as football , a sub is a player who is brought into a match to replace another player.
subbed
short for several words beginning with sub-
subbing
short for several words beginning with sub-
1 (noun)
Up to £350,000 has been spent on travel and subsistence.
Synonyms
living
He earns his living doing all kinds of things.
maintenance
His parents paid his maintenance while he was at university.
upkeep
The money will be used for the estate's upkeep.
keep
I need to give my parents money for my keep.
support
You are entitled to send child support.
board
existence
Public worries about accidents are threatening the very existence of the nuclear power industry.
survival
livelihood
fishermen who depend on the seas for their livelihood.
board and lodging
2 (noun)
Synonyms
food
Enjoy your food!
provision
rations
kai (New Zealand, informal)
I'm starving - let's have some kai.
sustenance
The state provided a basic quantity of food for daily sustenance.
victuals
aliment
Additional synonyms
in the sense of existence
Definition
the fact or state of being real, live, or actual
Public worries about accidents are threatening the very existence of the nuclear power industry.
Synonyms
reality,
being,
life,
survival,
duration,
endurance,
continuation,
subsistence,
actuality,
continuance
in the sense of kai
Definition
food
I'm starving - let's have some kai.
Synonyms
food,
grub (slang),
provisions,
fare,
board,
commons,
eats (slang),
feed,
diet,
meat,
bread,
tuck (informal),
tucker (Australian, New Zealand, informal),
rations,
nutrition,
tack (informal),
refreshment,
scoff (slang),
nibbles,
foodstuffs,
nourishment,
chow (informal),
sustenance,
nosh (slang),
daily bread,
victuals,
edibles,
comestibles,
provender,
nosebag (slang),
pabulum (rare),
nutriment,
vittles (obsolete, dialect),
viands,
aliment,
eatables (slang),
F%D
in the sense of keep
Definition
the cost of food and other everyday expense
I need to give my parents money for my keep.
Synonyms
board,
food,
maintenance,
upkeep,
means,
living,
support,
nurture,
livelihood,
subsistence,
kai (New Zealand, informal),
nourishment,
sustenance
Synonyms of 'subsistence'
subsistence
Explore 'subsistence' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of livelihood
Definition
one's job or other source of income
fishermen who depend on the seas for their livelihood.
Synonyms
occupation,
work,
employment,
means,
living,
job,
maintenance,
subsistence,
bread and butter (informal),
sustenance,
(means of) support,
(source of) income
in the sense of maintenance
Definition
financial provision ordered to be made by way of periodical payments or a lump sum, usually for a separated or divorced spouse
His parents paid his maintenance while he was at university.
Synonyms
allowance,
living,
support,
keep,
food,
livelihood,
subsistence,
upkeep,
sustenance,
alimony,
aliment
in the sense of support
Definition
the means of providing the necessities of life for a family or person
You are entitled to send child support.
Synonyms
upkeep,
maintenance,
keep,
livelihood,
subsistence,
sustenance
in the sense of sustenance
Definition
means of maintaining health or life
The state provided a basic quantity of food for daily sustenance.
Synonyms
nourishment,
food,
provisions,
rations,
refreshments,
kai (New Zealand, informal),
daily bread,
victuals,
edibles,
comestibles,
provender,
aliment,
eatables,
refection
in the sense of upkeep
Definition
the act or process of keeping something in good repair