living will

noun

: a document in which the signer requests to be allowed to die rather than be kept alive by artificial means if disabled beyond a reasonable expectation of recovery compare advance directive

Examples of living will in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web More than one-quarter of respondents, 26%, said inflation and cost of living will have the largest impact on their vote in November. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 5 July 2024 Those who suffer most from the higher cost of living will see little or no relief from these tax cuts. —Shelley Smith - Special To The Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 29 June 2024 Bank of America’s living will plan wouldn’t work for some derivatives transactions, the agencies said, calling into question the firm’s ability to execute it. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 22 June 2024 Amid a teacher shortage, factors like poor benefits or pay that doesn’t reflect the area’s rising cost of living will keep people from being attracted to the profession. —Jennah Pendleton, Sacramento Bee, 24 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for living will 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'living will.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of living will was in 1969

Dictionary Entries Near living will

living wage

living will

Livistona

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Living will.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/living%20will. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Medical Definition

living will

noun
: a document in which the signer requests to be allowed to die rather than be kept alive by artificial means in the event of becoming disabled beyond a reasonable expectation of recovery see advance directive

Legal Definition

living will

noun
liv·​ing will
: a document in which the signer indicates preferences or directions for the administration and especially the withdrawal or withholding of life-sustaining medical treatment in the event of terminal illness or permanent unconsciousness see also advance directive compare health care power of attorney at power of attorney
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Absent Letters That Are Heard Anyway

How to Use Accents and Diacritical Marks
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

12 Star Wars Words

'Swash', 'Praya', and 12 More Beachy Words

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A crossword with a twist
winning words from the national spelling bee logo
Spelling Bee Quiz Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...