life-affirming
|life-af-firm-ing|
🇺🇸
/ˌlaɪf əˈfɝːmɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/ˌlaɪf əˈfɜːmɪŋ/
celebrating or affirming life
Etymology
'life-affirming' originates from English as a compound of 'life' and 'affirming', where 'life' comes from Old English 'līf' meaning 'life, existence' and 'affirming' traces to Latin 'affirmāre' (via Old French/Latin paths) meaning 'to assert, make firm'.
'life' remained from Old English 'līf' into modern English 'life'; 'affirm' developed from Latin 'affirmāre' into Old French 'affirmer' and Middle English forms (e.g. 'affirmen'/'affirmen') before becoming modern English 'affirm', which then forms the participial adjective 'affirming' used in compounds like 'life-affirming'.
Initially the components literally meant 'life' + 'making firm/affirming' (i.e., asserting life); over time the compound came to be used idiomatically to mean 'celebrating, uplifting, or confirming the value of life' in modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
emotionally uplifting or encouraging; giving a positive sense of life and vitality.
The concert was a life-affirming experience for everyone who attended.
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Adjective 2
affirming the value, dignity, or worth of life; rejecting nihilism or life-denying views.
Her memoir is explicitly life-affirming, insisting on the meaning found in ordinary days.
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Last updated: 2025/11/02 14:50