Meaning
livelihood, sustenance
- the means of securing the necessities of life; financial or material support
- food, nourishment, or sustenance needed to stay alive
In a sentence
Lavorava giorno e notte per garantire il sostentamento della propria famiglia.
He worked day and night to guarantee his family's livelihood.
Molte comunità locali dipendono dalla pesca come unica fonte di sostentamento.
Many local communities depend on fishing as their only source of sustenance.
La perdita del lavoro ha privato il giovane di ogni mezzo di sostentamento.
Losing his job deprived the young man of all means of livelihood.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| sostentamento | masculine · singular |
| sostentamenti | masculine · plural |
Usage notes
- Formal: common in legal, sociological, or elevated registers rather than casual speech.
- Often combined with 'mezzi di' (means of).