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

Chinese dominance in biotechnology would have dire, even existential, consequences for our economy and our national security. —Sen. Todd Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025

Maybe existential soul-searching is too much of a luxury for a generation that will likely have to fight harder than any other still living to survive. —Judy Berman, Time, 30 Oct. 2025

But Martin McDonagh’s masterful comedy starts off like a drama, then becomes a romance, then a thriller, before revealing itself to have been an existential morality tale all along. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025

Despite this potentially campy subtext, however, the film’s existential hopelessness leaves a bleak impression. —Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 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