existential
adjective
ex·is·ten·tial
ˌeg-(ˌ)zi-ˈsten(t)-shəl 
ˌek-(ˌ)si-
1
: of, relating to, or affirming existence
existential propositions
an existential crisis
the existential threat of climate change
2
a
: grounded in existence or the experience of existence : empirical
existential phenomenology
b
: having being in time and space
… abstractions, ideal gauges without claim to existential reality …—
W. Wolfgang Holdheim
W. Wolfgang Holdheim3
: concerned with or involving human existence or its nature : existentialist
an existential novel
existentially
adverb
Synonyms of existential
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
And from his main Democratic opponent in the primary, Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill, for Ford's support of data centers, which are an existential concern in the country's driest state.
—The Npr Network, NPR, 9 June 2026
Big picture here, is this an existential crisis for the CBS News Division?
—Zulekha Nathoo, USA Today, 8 June 2026
Giving up the Cartoon Network, for example, is a small price to pay for a deal that feels existential to the parties involved.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 8 June 2026
But years of water use that outpaced the Colorado River’s shrinking flows have, over the past two decades, sapped the reservoir’s water stores and created an existential crisis for water managers across the basin, home to 40 million people.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for existential
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The Npr Network, NPR, 9 June 2026
Big picture here, is this an existential crisis for the CBS News Division?
—Zulekha Nathoo, USA Today, 8 June 2026
Giving up the Cartoon Network, for example, is a small price to pay for a deal that feels existential to the parties involved.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 8 June 2026
But years of water use that outpaced the Colorado River’s shrinking flows have, over the past two decades, sapped the reservoir’s water stores and created an existential crisis for water managers across the basin, home to 40 million people.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for existential
Cite this Entry
“Existential.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/existential. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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