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
existentially
adverb
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
This dehumanization is poignantly illustrated through the characters’ struggles with isolation and existential discontent.
—
Benjamin Laker, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
By tightening demonstration policies, university administrators contributed to a discourse that has framed the pro-Palestinian protest as an existential threat to the well-being and safety of society at large and have, in effect, played into the hands of the current administration.
—Bastiaan Vanacker, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
With access to troves of archival footage, Braverman shows Kaufman transforming the very nature of comedy by launching the put-on into existential extremes.
—Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
That $36 trillion in national debt is an existential crisis for our children?
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for existential
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Benjamin Laker, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
By tightening demonstration policies, university administrators contributed to a discourse that has framed the pro-Palestinian protest as an existential threat to the well-being and safety of society at large and have, in effect, played into the hands of the current administration.
—Bastiaan Vanacker, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
With access to troves of archival footage, Braverman shows Kaufman transforming the very nature of comedy by launching the put-on into existential extremes.
—Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
That $36 trillion in national debt is an existential crisis for our children?
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for existential
Cite this Entry
“Existential.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/existential. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
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