This work examines the scope and limitations of the cyanoxyl ( ⅐ OC'N)mediated free-radical polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) with respect to the criteria of livingness. Cyanoxyl persistent radicals were generated in situ through the reaction between arenediazonium salts (XOC 6 H 4 where X is H, OCH 3 , Cl, or NO 2 ) and sodium cyanate (NaOCN). This article thoroughly discusses the role played by such oxygen-centered radicals in the polymerization process; it particularly focuses on the influence of the concentration and nature of the diazonium salt, the solvent, and the temperature on features such as the variations of ln([M] 0 /[M]) versus time (where [M] 0 is the initial monomer concentration and [M] is the monomer concentration), the number-average molar mass versus conversion, and the polydispersity versus conversion in cyanoxyl-mediated free-radical polymerizations of AA. Cyanoxyl-terminated samples were used as macroinitiators for the polymerization of methyl methacrylate to generate poly(acrylic acid)-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) block copolymers.