quality of life

noun phrase

: overall enjoyment of life : general well-being
… the male characters on the show not only have a better chance of survival; they're also more likely to improve their quality of life through friendship.—Juliet Lapidos
specifically : the degree to which a person or group is healthy, comfortable, and able to enjoy the activities of daily living
Migraine is a common disorder that can severely affect patients' quality of life and daily function. —New England Journal of Medicine
—often hyphenated when used before another noun
A number of recent surveys have identified noise as New York City's greatest quality-of-life issue. —Tom Vanderbilt
—abbreviation QOL

Examples of quality of life in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The institute created the survey as a way to measure quality of life that population growth, income and other traditional economic indicators may miss. — Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026 Research is big on tracking survival stats, but quality of life for survivors — not so much. — Stat Staff, STAT, 23 Oct. 2026 Surveys of residents show deep dissatisfaction about the quality of life. — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 Our team plans to test in a larger clinical trial whether starting survivorship care before radiation helps patients finish treatment on time and maintain quality of life, while also examining how teams coordinate care and referrals. — Marci Lee Nilsen, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for quality of life

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of quality of life was in 1943

Rhymes for quality of life

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Browse Nearby Words

quality magazine
quality of life
quality point
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Cite this Entry

“Quality of life.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quality%20of%20life. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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