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

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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 Having survived the online privacy era, record labels are faced with an even more existential threat from artificial intelligence. — Max Tani, semafor.com, 14 Aug. 2026 OpenAI grapples with this existential question in a 69-page report published on August 11 on the enterprise adoption of ChatGPT. — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2026 Essex believes mutants are now the superior species, while Trask sees them as an existential threat to humankind. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026 The author warns that humanity's insistence on supremacy could lead to conflict with advanced AI, even provoking existential threats. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for existential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for existential
  1. empirical
  2. observational
  3. objective
  4. experimental
Adjective
  • Allowing subjective confidence to silently acquire the epistemological status of empirical verification is neither verification nor evidence.
    — Hamilton Mann, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Whether employee ownership produces similar results is ultimately an empirical question, not an ideological one.
    — David I. Levine, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of empirical
Adjective
  • The film’s observational intensity yields a form of symbolic realism that highlights both the action and its import—both the drama and the ideas and systems that undergird it.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Stephen Maing has upheld a standard of excellence in observational filmmaking through his works.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of observational
Adjective
  • Unfortunately, performance reviews are not always objective assessments of work.
    — Lauren Russell, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Still, an objective case for Wang’s positive influence doesn’t want for evidence.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of objective
Adjective
  • Crucially, the experiment revealed that while design software is free, the significant expense and bottleneck now lie in the physical synthesis and experimental validation of proteins, underscoring the scarcity of wet-lab capacity.
    — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The tome is a more experimental offering than traditional fiction, and relies heavily on the conflicting narration from commenters and Agnes’ internal dialogue.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 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 26 Aug. 2026.

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