existential

adjective

ˌeg-(ˌ)zi-ˈsten(t)-shəl How to pronounce existential (audio)
Definition of existentialnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of existential Once they are gone — and 1,200 smaller glaciers have disappeared in the last 50 years — drought could pose an existential threat to Europe's farmers. — Imogen Foulkes, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026 The play takes an existential turn when Stacey chases down her mother. — Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026 Bespoke capabilities simply cannot win a major existential conflict. — Dan Driscoll, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2026 But for other parents, the existential issue could not feel more urgent. — Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for existential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for existential
  1. empirical
  2. observational
  3. objective
  4. experimental
Adjective
  • Both Fontaines were scouts well ahead of the deep empirical and objective analysis of baseball data — sabermetrics is the catchall term — that some believe has made scouts obsolete.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Others, like Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares, think the empirical methods this would require are extremely unlikely to work, and place the chance that superintelligence kills us all very high.
    — Geoffrey Irving, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of empirical
Adjective
  • Eleanor envisioned an observational film in the vein of Frederick Wiseman, and the doc is narrated by actress Diane Lane, a longtime Coppola family collaborator, who reads Eleanor’s contemporaneous diary entries from twenty years ago.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
  • My research focuses on finding links between fiber and different diseases in observational data and figuring out how to test them in a clinical trial.
    — Jean Liew, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of observational
Adjective
  • Both Fontaines were scouts well ahead of the deep empirical and objective analysis of baseball data — sabermetrics is the catchall term — that some believe has made scouts obsolete.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • By any objective measure, the Pan America is a capable, comfortable, raucous-sounding, brute-faced, mile-killer that attracts only the very finest heathens.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of objective
Adjective
  • Its experimental Little Blue Menu concept served traditional Chick-fil-A menu items along with burgers, pizza and onion rings; the chain will convert its final location into a traditional Chick-fil-A next year.
    — Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The one-day event will screen 12 shorts from seven countries, with documentaries, dramas, comedies, animation and experimental pieces in the mix.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of experimental

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Cite this Entry

“Existential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/existential. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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