during her lifetime

USAGE SUMMARY

"during her lifetime" is grammatically correct and can be used in written English.
It is typically used to refer to a specific period of time that someone has lived, usually in the past. It can be used to provide background information or add context to a statement. Example: "Jane Austen wrote six novels during her lifetime."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

59 human-written examples

And during her lifetime, they didn't.

The New York Times - Arts

She produced just three collections during her lifetime.

The Economist

Tosca excelled at many professions during her lifetime.

The New York Times

Why hadn't Thomas questioned her reticence during her lifetime?

The New Yorker

Your mother died in 1965, and "Paranoia" was never published during her lifetime.

The New Yorker

The judge ruled that she could do whatever she wanted with the papers during her lifetime.

The New York Times - Magazine

However, because of institutional sexism during her lifetime, Leavitt never got the public recognition she deserved.

The Guardian

Val-Kill today houses about 40percentt of the items that were there during her lifetime.

The New York Times

She personified the revolution in sexual attitudes that spread across Europe during her lifetime.

The New York Times

An Australian woman's risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about one in 100.

The Guardian

Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu acclaimed Ms. Suzman's efforts during her lifetime.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "during her lifetime" to provide a temporal context for events, achievements, or circumstances related to a specific woman. For example, "During her lifetime, Marie Curie made groundbreaking discoveries in physics and chemistry."

Common error

Avoid using "during her lifetime" to describe actions that are ongoing or expected to happen in the future. The phrase is best used to refer to events completed or characteristic of the past. For example, instead of saying "She plans to write many books during her lifetime", a better phrasing would be "She plans to write many books throughout her career".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "during her lifetime" functions as an adverbial phrase modifying a verb, specifying the period in which an action or state occurred. It provides a temporal context, indicating that something happened while a specific woman was alive, according to Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

64%

Encyclopedias

12%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Science

7%

Formal & Business

5%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "during her lifetime" is a grammatically correct and very common prepositional phrase used to specify that an event, achievement, or circumstance occurred while a woman was alive. As Ludwig AI explains, it provides temporal context and background information, emphasizing the timing of events within the span of her life. It's frequently found in news articles, encyclopedias, and biographical accounts, and as Ludwig examples show, it is used across a wide variety of contexts, including history, science and personal stories. While there may be related phrases you can use instead of "during her lifetime", it's still a reliable means of adding emphasis or clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

throughout her life

Stresses the continuous nature of events during her life.

while she was alive

Emphasizes the state of being alive as the timeframe.

in the course of her life

Similar to throughout her life, but with a slightly more formal tone.

during the time she lived

A more verbose but equally valid alternative, emphasizing the period of her life.

in her time

A concise way of referring to the era she lived in.

as long as she lived

Focuses on the duration of her life as the defining factor.

in her days

Focuses on the period when she was actively living and experiencing things.

in her existence

Highlights the entire span of her being.

within her span of years

Highlights the finite nature of her life.

in her generation

Contextualizes events within her peer group and era.

FAQs

How can I use "during her lifetime" in a sentence?

Use "during her lifetime" to specify that something occurred while a woman was alive. For example, "She received little recognition "during her lifetime", but her work is now celebrated".

What phrases are similar to "during her lifetime"?

Similar phrases include "throughout her life", "while she was alive", or "in her days". The best choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it redundant to use "during her lifetime" if the context already implies the person is deceased?

While not always necessary, using "during her lifetime" can add emphasis or clarity, especially if there's a possibility of confusion about when something occurred. It explicitly contrasts events that happened before or after her death.

Which is correct: "during her lifetime" or "in her lifetime"?

While both phrases are technically acceptable, "during her lifetime" is more common and natural-sounding in most contexts. "In her lifetime" is less frequently used.