Found 17 stronger alternatives to upgrade your writing.
Live somewhere temporarily
Nuance: Temporary
Use stay for a temporary place.
Boring
We lived at my aunt's house for a week.
Better
We stayed at my aunt's house for a week.
Exist (basic meaning)
Nuance: Existence
Use be when you mean exist in general.
Boring
To live is a gift.
Better
To be alive is a gift.
Be alive (emphasis)
Nuance: Life emphasis
Poetic way to emphasize being alive.
Boring
As long as I live I will keep trying.
Better
As long as I breathe I will keep trying.
Live at an address (formal)
Nuance: Official address
Formal word for where you live.
Boring
She lives in Toronto.
Better
She resides in Toronto.
Live in a place (literary/formal)
Nuance: Place
Literary/formal word for where someone lives.
Boring
They live in a small cottage by the lake.
Better
They dwell in a small cottage by the lake.
Live in a place (animals/people)
Nuance: Occupy a habitat
Good for habitats and regions.
Boring
Many animals live in the forest.
Better
Many animals inhabit the forest.
Stay alive through danger
Nuance: Endured
Used for danger and hardship.
Boring
He lived through the storm by staying indoors.
Better
He survived the storm by staying indoors.
Live in a space (legal/formal)
Nuance: Residence rights
Formal or legal tone.
Boring
Only tenants may live in the apartment.
Better
Only tenants may occupy the apartment.
Be real or be true
Nuance: Reality
Use for whether something is real.
Boring
Do unicorns really live?
Better
Do unicorns really exist?
Stay somewhere temporarily (travel)
Nuance: Temporary stay
Travel word for staying.
Boring
We lived at a small inn.
Better
We lodged at a small inn.
Continue to be (state)
Nuance: Still present
Use when something continues to be present.
Boring
The legend lives in our town stories.
Better
The legend remains in our town stories.
Move and start living somewhere
Nuance: Established a home
Used for moving and making a home.
Boring
Her family lived in the west.
Better
Her family settled in the west.
Live somewhere with meals provided
Nuance: Lives with supervision
Often used for boarding school.
Boring
She lived at school during the week.
Better
She boarded at school during the week.
Live through hardship
Nuance: Hardship
Stronger than live through; shows toughness.
Boring
He lived through the long hike without complaining.
Better
He endured the long hike without complaining.
Live with very little
Nuance: Barely enough
Very formal; suggests barely living.
Boring
They lived on rice and beans.
Better
They subsisted on rice and beans.
Live together peacefully
Nuance: Harmony
Formal and often about groups.
Boring
Different groups can live together in peace.
Better
Different groups can coexist in peace.
Live/rest in a roost (birds)
Nuance: Resting place
Specific to birds.
Boring
The birds live in that tree at night.
Better
The birds roost in that tree at night.