Active
Active adjective - Being in effective operation.
Usage example: the abandoned factory had not been active for years
Dead
Dead adjective - No longer living.
Usage example: I inherited this heirloom from my dead great-grandfather
Active is an antonym for dead in topics: not working, spiritless, complete, indifferent, no longer alive.
Nearby Word: deadly
Both words in one sentence
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In Corpse Bride, Emily is a primary character with an active role in the movie, but she is still dead.
Source: Drop Dead Gorgeous -
Eventually, Cas reveals that "Denise" is his long-dead wife, and he has kept her account active all these years just so he can occasionally hear her voice one last time.
Source: Talking to the Dead -
In some editions there's a feat characters can take that allows them to remain conscious and active with negative hit points, but -10 is still dead.
Source: Only Mostly Dead
Cite this Source
Dead and Active. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/active/dead
Active & Dead. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/active/dead>.
Dead or Active. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/active/dead.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "active" and "dead" have occurred on timeline