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

Some on the far left view a second Trump term as an existential crisis and likely will be motivated to take to the streets to protest. —Colin P. Clarke, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024

One answer lies in a unique facet of human psychology – specifically, in how people manage the fear aroused by existential threats. —Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024

But because this is a horror movie, there are, of course, more immediate existential threats lurking behind doors one and two. —Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 7 Nov. 2024

New developments in generative AI have sparked existential dread in many film professionals, who fear that their jobs could someday be rendered obsolete. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 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