existential
adjective
ex·is·ten·tial
ˌeg-(ˌ)zi-ˈsten(t)-shəl 
ˌek-(ˌ)si-
1
: of, relating to, or affirming existence
existential propositions
an existential crisis
the existential threat of climate change
2
a
: grounded in existence or the experience of existence : empirical
existential phenomenology
b
: having being in time and space
… abstractions, ideal gauges without claim to existential reality …—
W. Wolfgang Holdheim
W. Wolfgang Holdheim3
: concerned with or involving human existence or its nature : existentialist
an existential novel
existentially
adverb
Synonyms of existential
Examples of existential in a Sentence
child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim believed that fairy tales help children cope with their existential anxieties and dilemmas
Recent Examples on the Web
Technology looms over the record, a constant source of its titular distraction, and a kind of existential threat to connection.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2026
The elimination of the plants could pose an existential threat to Kuwait City, the country’s capital, which is heavily reliant on desalination, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
—Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 3 Apr. 2026
This promises investors dramatic upside, or the jeopardy of existential implosion, depending on their results on the field.
—Andrés Martinez, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
Tax Day comes with paperwork, number-crunching, and a mild existential crisis, but dinner doesn’t have to suffer for it.
—Phoebe Fry, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for existential
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Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2026
The elimination of the plants could pose an existential threat to Kuwait City, the country’s capital, which is heavily reliant on desalination, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
—Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 3 Apr. 2026
This promises investors dramatic upside, or the jeopardy of existential implosion, depending on their results on the field.
—Andrés Martinez, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
Tax Day comes with paperwork, number-crunching, and a mild existential crisis, but dinner doesn’t have to suffer for it.
—Phoebe Fry, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for existential
Cite this Entry
“Existential.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/existential. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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