These words all mean having life or manifesting signs of life. Living , alive and live may be applied interchangeably to functioning organisms in contrast to those that are dead. Living may sometimes refer only to the condition of not being dead.

• He is the greatest living novelist in England; My grandfather is still living at the age of 93.

By extension, living may also describe things that are full of energy and significance or are actually operative: the living faith of Buddhists; living languages. Alive applies to all degrees of life, from that which is barely evident to that which implies the very utmost of vitality and power.

• The mortally wounded man was unconscious but still alive when taken to the hospital; She is so alive that her presence in a room is electrifying.

Live , which is usually placed before the noun modified, may describe the condition of appearing in the flesh rather than being depicted in photographs, paintings, etc., or being preserved physically after death.

• I was grown up before I saw a real, live gypsy; Having seen the stuffed gorillas at the museum, the little boy was delighted to observe his first live one at the zoo.

In television and radio, a live audience or live actors are actually present at the time of transmission rather than appearing in a taped performance. When applied to certain things, live carries over the idea of vital functioning.

• A live wire is one charged with electricity; We cooked the steak over live coals; Peace talks are a live issue today.

Animate carries fewer connotations than do living , alive , and live , and is usually limited in application to living organisms as opposed to dead ones or to objects, called inanimate, that do not have the property of possessing life.