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
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Recent Examples of existential
The company faces a range of existential challenges, including its heavy mall footprint, its small online business and a core consumer that often has less discretionary income than the core Dick’s consumer.
—
Gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
This shows Israel's determination to prevent its enemies from obtain[ing] those advanced nuclear capabilities that could really pose an existential threat to the state of Israel.
—Meredith Wolf Schizer, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Many news publishers, however, worry that the rise of AI search engines such as Perplexity could pose an existential threat to the industry, diverting audiences away from their websites and undermining their advertising and subscription models.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025
Are you beset by existential worries?
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for existential
Gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
This shows Israel's determination to prevent its enemies from obtain[ing] those advanced nuclear capabilities that could really pose an existential threat to the state of Israel.
—Meredith Wolf Schizer, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Many news publishers, however, worry that the rise of AI search engines such as Perplexity could pose an existential threat to the industry, diverting audiences away from their websites and undermining their advertising and subscription models.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025
Are you beset by existential worries?
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for existential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for existential
Adjective
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And the $340 billion is the surest empirical evidence beyond simple reason that there’s no reason for neo-Austrians to always be crying hyperinflation.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
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Such empirical human suffering cannot be denied.—
Sahar Mustafah
August 27,
Literary Hub,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The insights were gained from a climate station on Tajikistan’s Kyzylsu Glacier, a region where observational data has been scarce since the Soviet Union fell.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Sep. 2025
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The film is a series of character studies, quiet, observational and non-judgmental – a comedy, but interwoven with threads of melancholy.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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By definition, an 'audit' must be neutral and objective.—
Anastasia Tsioulcas,
NPR,
5 Sep. 2025
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At first look, naming wars after their location, participants, starting date or duration might appear to be an exercise in objective detachment.—
Esther Brito Ruiz,
The Conversation,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The experimental setup handled thousands of transactions among up to 1,800 parties, just a fraction of the scale in real clearinghouses but enough to show how future versions of the hardware could make a difference.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Sep. 2025
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Since its opening in mid-June, the experimental project has driven a 25 percent increase in total sales across the West Nanjing Road thoroughfare.—
Denni Hu,
Footwear News,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Existential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/existential. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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