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

Content creators exaggerate stakes to make their content urgent and existential. —Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2025

But the crop behind this indulgence faces an existential threat. —Narcisa Pricope, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2025

That felt so good and so meaningful, especially right now, when the industry is having an existential crisis. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025

The stakes are starting to appear existential, threatening the high and rising living standards that much of the world has enjoyed over the last century. —Dylan Scott, Vox, 5 Feb. 2025

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