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

3

: concerned with or involving human existence or its nature : existentialist

an existential novel

existentially adverb

Synonyms of existential

• empirical
• 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

In 2025, many Hollywood unions are facing existential questions about how to survive in a rapidly changing media environment. —Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025

If Christmas falls flat for Saks Global and there’s not enough from asset sales to make a difference, experts around the industry speculate that Saks could eventually face an existential change in ownership, either in or out of bankruptcy court. —Evan Clark, Footwear News, 12 Nov. 2025

But critics argue some of those same attributes pose existential problems, with Shamblin’s suicide — allegedly with the encouragement of a piece of technology — as one of the more recent examples. —Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 11 Nov. 2025

This bilingual edition preserves Vilariño’s rhythmic precision and existential intensity, giving readers a rare glimpse into a body of work that continues to resonate far beyond its origins. —Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 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