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

Relevance

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 Four pages later, Anthropic notes the amount of damage AI could do may be so catastrophic that no insurer would pay out — or even write a policy — to cover such an existential threat to humanity. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026 The work was produced during a period of extraordinary existential tension across the United States and specifically in New York. — Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026 Anthropic has some pretty existential risk factors Every S-1 features a long list of things that could go wrong. — Robert Hart, The Verge, 26 Oct. 2026 Voting carries an almost existential significance for Indians whose equal citizenship has not been fully recognized by the institutions of the state. — Asim Ali, Time, 24 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for existential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for existential
  1. empirical
  2. observational
  3. objective
  4. experimental
Adjective
  • But the way Honda is combining hands-on orientation with engineer-friendly schooling (like explaining off-road recoveries in empirical measures) seems like a great path to building a team that really cares about, and understands, its products.
    — Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 28 Oct. 2026
  • During high-temperature runs conducted in September, engineers collected new empirical data to evaluate core behavior under extreme heat.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of empirical
Adjective
  • Long-term, the picture is not so clear-cut because people who choose diet soda often differ from those who drink regular soda in many ways, which makes observational research tricky to interpret.
    — Brittany Poulson, Verywell Health, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Swedish polymath explores the sounds, language, and imagery of Americana on a drolly observational singer-songwriter album.
    — Harry Thorfinn-George, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of observational
Adjective
  • The credentialing process itself is objective and requires a security clearance and some other criteria be met that are objective, that have nothing to do with the content or viewpoint of reporting.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Unifying early creative and planning phases with advanced analytics ensures downstream execution is driven by objective market signals rather than isolated guessing.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of objective
Adjective
  • In experimental tests described by the company, the approach completed one task in just under 16 minutes, compared with more than 29 minutes using a conventional approach.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026
  • The album’s experimental bent is also what keeps the music from slipping into parody or, even worse, po-faced sincerity.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of experimental

Browse Nearby Words

existent
existential
existents
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Existential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/existential. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fulsome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All