subsist

/səbˈsɪst/ (bre, ipa) · [səbsˈɪst] /səbˈsɪst/ (ame, ipa) · [səbsˈɪst] /səb-ˈsist How to pronounce subsist (audio)/ (ame, mw)

subsist — verb

  • subsistpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • subsistshe / she / it
  • subsistedpast simple
  • subsisting-ing form

1. to keep yourself alive with only the bare minimum of food, money, or other resou

1.動詞不及物B2
釋義

to keep yourself alive with only the bare minimum of food, money, or other resources, without any comfort or extras

例句

Nora subsists on rice and beans while she studies at the university.

Tunde subsisted on odd jobs and street food during his first year alone.

subsist on [resources]

同義詞
  • survive

    more general and less formal; 'survive' can also mean to stay alive through danger, while 'subsist' focuses specifically on bare-minimum living

  • get by

    informal phrasal verb; implies managing with difficulty but not necessarily at starvation level

  • scrape by

    informal; suggests barely enough and a constant struggle

  • live

    broader and more neutral; 'live' does not carry the connotation of hardship that 'subsist' does

反義詞
  • thrive

    opposite of barely surviving; implies doing well and growing

  • flourish

    implies not just surviving but growing strong and healthy

文法句型

subsist + on + noun phrase

subsist + by + verb-ing

subsist + on + amount of money

用法筆記

Intransitive verb — cannot take a direct object. To specify how survival is achieved, use a prepositional phrase with 'on' (what you consume) or 'by' (what you do). Frequently used in descriptions of poverty, crisis, or simple living.

常見錯誤

❌Many families subsist rice and vegetables.
✅Many families subsist on rice and vegetables.
💡'subsist' is intransitive; you cannot put a direct object after it.

2. to continue to exist, especially in a limited, weak, or reduced form after most

2.動詞不及物C1
釋義

to continue to exist, especially in a limited, weak, or reduced form after most of something has disappeared or changed

例句

The custom of greeting elders first still subsists in a few mountain villages.

still subsists — adverb before verb showing continuation

Bits of the old dialect still subsist in local place names and family expressions.

同義詞
  • exist

    more neutral and common; 'exist' has no implication of weakness or decline

  • remain

    less formal; focuses on what is left rather than the fact of continuing

  • endure

    implies surviving difficulty over time; stronger emotional tone than 'subsist'

  • persist

    suggests stubborn continuation despite opposition; slightly more active than 'subsist'

反義詞
  • vanish

    disappear completely

  • cease

    formal; stop existing or happening

文法句型

subsist + in + noun phrase

subsist + among + noun phrase

still subsists

用法筆記

Formal or literary register. Used mainly in writing about traditions, customs, languages, or conditions that remain in a weakened form. Almost never used in everyday conversation.