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
• observational
• objective
• experimental

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

The second Trump administration appears to have a different goal in mind: nothing less than the dismantling of the global trading system, rooted in the president’s strong preference for unilateral action and belief that bilateral trade deficits are an existential threat. —Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2025

Heat is an existential threat to some European economies Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth. —Taco Engelaar, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2025

Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence star as astronomers who try in vain to warn politicians and the public about the existential threat barrelling toward them. —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 10 Aug. 2025

His photography functions as a visual diary–an existential journey through chaos, connection, and the search for peace. —Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 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

Rhymes for existential

• consequential
• deferential
• evidential
• exponential
• influential
• nonessential
• penitential
• precedential
• preferential
• presidential
• providential
• referential