Why aren’t viruses considered life?

The only answer I ever find is bc they need a host to survive and reproduce. So what? Most organisms need a “host” to survive (eating). And hijacking cells to recreate yourself does not sound like a low enough bar to be considered not alive.

Ik it’s a grey area and some scientists might say they’re alive, but the vast majority seem to agree they arent living. I thought the bar for what’s alive should be far far below what viruses are, before I learned that viruses aren’t considered alive.

If they aren’t alive what are they??? A compound? This seems like a grey area that should be black