1 existential | Definition of existential

existential

adjective
ex·​is·​ten·​tial | \ ˌeg-(ˌ)zi-ˈsten(t)-shəl How to pronounce existential (audio) , ˌek-(ˌ)si-\

Definition of existential

1 : of, relating to, or affirming existence existential propositions
2a : grounded in existence or the experience of existence : empirical
b : having being in time and space
3 [ translation of Danish eksistentiel & German existential ] : existentialist

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Other Words from existential

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 posed an existential threat to hiQ because the LinkedIn website is hiQ's main source of data about clients' employees. Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Web scraping doesn’t violate anti-hacking law, appeals court rules," 9 Sep. 2019 At the same time, there are increasing numbers of existential threats, such as nuclear weapons and climate change. Alexander Thomas, Quartz, "The problem with wanting to reverse aging that no one talks about," 30 Aug. 2019 Our society of instant gratification –mindful of existential threats like climate change, nuclear war, and killer planets that somehow avoid notice, weighed in quickly on Twitter. Cicero Estrella, The Mercury News, "Director Richard Linklater plans to take 20 years to shoot musical ‘Merrily We Roll Along’," 29 Aug. 2019 The other is afraid to feature this existential issue. Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, "Letters: Tired cry of “socialism”; Overly optimistic for our planet (8/27/19)," 27 Aug. 2019 Democratic voters see it as an existential issue and the candidates were eager to talk about it. orlandosentinel.com, "Key takeaways from night 1 of the Democratic debate in Miami," 26 June 2019 Of course, there’s a subtext to this in the tightrope Golden State has had to walk all season with Durant’s free agency looming as the big existential issue over what becomes of their dynasty. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, "Opinion: Warriors' wishful thinking on Kevin Durant has been just as destructive as his absence," 8 June 2019 And then there’s the existential issue of Ribeiro not actually being Carlton Banks, who is a fictional character owned by NBC. Nick Statt, The Verge, "Fortnite keeps stealing dances — and no one knows if it’s illegal," 20 Dec. 2018 The letters move seamlessly from personal reflections and memories to larger existential issues and historical overviews. Daphne Merkin, WSJ, "‘Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor’ Review: Empathy With the Stranger," 7 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'existential.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of existential

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More from Merriam-Webster on existential

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with existential

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for existential

Britannica English: Translation of existential for Arabic Speakers