as in empirical
based on observation or experience
child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim believed that fairy tales help children cope with their existential anxieties and dilemmas
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Recent Examples of existential
Part of his election campaign has been to portray Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as an existential threat to Hungary.
—
Lorne Cook, Arkansas Online, 20 Mar. 2026
The research found that 30% of jobs could face an existential threat from AI, 15 percentage points higher than the initial assessment.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
The existential question, the driver for the entire show, causes Shah to freeze.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026
Part of his election campaign has been to portray Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as an existential threat to Hungary.
—ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for existential
Lorne Cook, Arkansas Online, 20 Mar. 2026
The research found that 30% of jobs could face an existential threat from AI, 15 percentage points higher than the initial assessment.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
The existential question, the driver for the entire show, causes Shah to freeze.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026
Part of his election campaign has been to portray Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as an existential threat to Hungary.
—ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for existential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for existential
Adjective
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Second, those reasonable judgments are based on empirical projections, involving the capacities and likely performance of various institutions; though reasonable, the projections may not always be right.—
Cass Sunstein,
Big Think,
5 Mar. 2026
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Does the empirical research match up with that common conception?—
Catherine A. Sanderson,
The Conversation,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This project showcases his creative and intelligent mind, proving that his photography is not merely observational, but deeply analytical and philosophical.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
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With these shots the film establishes its poetic observational mode.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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When controvery hit, USC hid behind a supposedly objective formula created by a professor.—
Matt Klink,
Oc Register,
17 Mar. 2026
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The article itself is objective and fact-based.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Between those two A-list gigs, Gabrels has done even more experimental stuff such as work with Boston’s jazz/jam/globetriping outfit Club d’Elf.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
19 Mar. 2026
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That range spans about 370 parts-per-billion between the various estimates, with some overlapping with Fermilab’s experimental data and others, particularly from the older R-ratio methods, disagreeing with Fermilab’s data at greater than the 5-sigma threshold.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Existential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/existential. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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