existential

adjective

ex·​is·​ten·​tial ˌeg-(ˌ)zi-ˈsten(t)-shəl How to pronounce existential (audio)
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
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In every one of these Thomas McGuane stories, something is going to be very wrong and yet probably hilarious—existential slapstick in ventriloquial voices with such precise language and restraint that his sentences will literally shine up off the page. Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025 Experts, developers, and CEOs of AI companies make bold claims about future trajectories, from the elimination of arduous labor and the increase in human longevity to the potential existential threats to humanity. Yoshua Bengio, Time, 22 Oct. 2025 David Adelman joined the Nuggets in the middle of a league-wide existential crisis in 2017. Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 22 Oct. 2025 But while some amphibians face existential threats to their existence, others are being discovered for the very first time. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for existential

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of existential was in 1656

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Cite this Entry

“Existential.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/existential. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

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