existence

noun

ex·​is·​tence ig-ˈzi-stən(t)s 

1

a

: the state or fact of having being especially independently of human consciousness and as contrasted with nonexistence

the existence of other worlds

b

: the manner of being that is common to every mode of being

c

: being with respect to a limiting condition or under a particular aspect

2

: actual or present occurrence

existence of a state of war

3

a(1)

: the totality of existent things

(2)

: a particular being

all the fair existences of heaven

—John Keats

b

: sentient or living being : life

c

: reality as presented in experience

d

obsolete : reality as opposed to appearance

Synonyms

• actuality
• corporality
• corporeality
• reality
• subsistence
• thingness

Examples of existence in a Sentence

She began to doubt the existence of God.

the existence of UFO's is something that people continue to argue about

Recent Examples on the Web

The Lyrik Institution has seen a great deal of success in its few short years of existence. —J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024

While Falco revealed the existence of the clip in 2021, footage from it has never been found its way online until now. —Zack Sharf, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024

Durang’s plays—madcap, savage, disturbed—mix absurdism and melancholy, refracting the funny terror of existence. —Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024

To see the Sasquatch crew tramping across a ridge, outlined against a pearlescent sky, is to grasp the fragility of their existence, and of ours. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024

Yet this struggle for democracy ignored the occupation and the existence of the Palestinians as a people. —Ami Ayalon, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2024

More than 70 vintners and growers cultivate grapes on its 5,000 acres of vines, which produce some of the foremost Cabernet Sauvignon and red blends in existence. —Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2024

Now, the author’s handwritten manuscript of the book—the only copy in existence—is expected to sell for $1.2 million. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024

Israeli officials continue to deny the existence of starvation in Gaza, which international aid groups warn is on the brink of famine. —Yasmeen Serhan, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Middle French existence, existance, borrowed from Late Latin existentia, exsistentia, noun derivative of existent-, existens/exsistent-, exsistens "having being, existent"

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3d

Phrases Containing existence

• come into existence
• go out of existence
• struggle for existence

Kids Definition

existence

noun

ex·​ist·​ence

ig-ˈzis-tən(t)s

1

: the fact or the state of having being or of being real

the largest animal in existence

2

: the state of being alive : life

owed my existence to a doctor's skill