existential

adjective

ex·​is·​ten·​tial ˌeg-(ˌ)zi-ˈsten(t)-shəl 

ˌek-(ˌ)si-

1

: of, relating to, or affirming existence

existential propositions

2

a

: grounded in existence or the experience of existence : empirical

b

: having being in time and space

3

: existentialist

existentially adverb

Synonyms

• empirical
• empiric
• experiential
• experimental
• objective
• observational

Examples of existential in a Sentence

child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim believed that fairy tales help children cope with their existential anxieties and dilemmas

Recent Examples on the Web

Presumably, most of us would be happy with fixing the climate, since that existential problem often seems insurmountable. —John Werner, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024

Property values, insurance rates and building codes are changing, and experts are warning that unnatural disasters like Hurricane Helene are just the opening acts of an existential threat. —Bill Weir, CNN, 1 Nov. 2024

The decision to move abroad – to become an immigrant, essentially – is a big one, full of logistical hurdles and existential questions. —Andrea Riquier, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024

Judith Martinez, 32, a nonprofit founder in Los Angeles, says the election feels like an existential crisis and has contributed to bouts of insomnia. —Jenny Taitz, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin existentiālis, exsistentiālis, from existentia, exsistentia existence + Latin -ālis -al entry 1; in the 19th and 20th centuries in part as translation of Danish existentiel (later eksistentiel) & German existentiell

Note: Compare "Existentielt Indlæg" ("existential contribution") in the subtitle of Søren Kierkegaard's Afsluttende uvidenskabelig Efterskrift til de philosophiske Smuler (1846; Concluding Unscientific Postscript to the Philosophical Fragments), used also elsewhere in the work.

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing existential

• existential quantifier