the standard of living
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A conventional term to express the supposed degree of comfort or luxury usually enjoyed by a man, a family, or a nation: this may be high or low according to circumstances.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “the standard of living” mean?
A conventional term to express the supposed degree of comfort or luxury usually enjoyed by a man, a family, or a nation: this may be high or low according to circumstances.
Is “the standard of living” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.