survivor

A survivor is a person or thing that remains alive or continues to exist after encountering danger, trauma, or the passage of time. The word comes from Latin supervivere, from super- “over” and vivere “to live.”

In common usage, survivors include people who endure natural disasters, accidents, illnesses, wars, or persecution, and organisms that persist through environmental challenges. The term can refer to the act of continuing to live as well as to the condition of continuing to exist.

In biology and ecology, survivors may describe individuals, lineages, or species that persist despite adverse conditions. In statistics and research, survivor bias (or survivorship bias) occurs when analyses rely on data from those who have survived while excluding those who did not.

In popular culture, Survivor is the title of a long-running reality television series that began in 2000, in which contestants are stranded in a remote location and compete for a prize. The show has inspired international adaptations and contributed to the broader use of the term in entertainment.

In legal contexts, the term survivor can refer to a person who inherits or retains certain rights or property upon the death of another, depending on jurisdiction and specific legal arrangements. The concept of survival thus spans everyday language, science, culture, and law.