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

He’s visited the Grand Canyon many times and never had an existential revelation there, either. —Graham Averill, Outside Online, 8 Dec. 2024

The turnaround has led to questions in Cleveland about whether the Browns should regret their decision to move on from him after four seasons, while Cleveland’s acquisition of Watson has gone so poorly that the franchise’s existential search for its quarterback remains ongoing. —Andrew Greif, NBC News, 4 Dec. 2024

For the future is still one of our two great existential unknowns, and no matter what the data purports to tell us, Palo Alto is no Delphi. —Ayad Akhtar, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2024

This dogged journey spawns further exodus from the land of steady tradition, something the director tackles vigorously as the plot meets at the fragile intersection between honoring heritage and forging a singular modern existence, a familiar existential conundrum. —Holly Jones, Variety, 3 Dec. 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