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
The greatest existential threat to our children is the national debt.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Responsibility is a group effort For Ahmet Öksüz, chairman of the Istanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters Association, the need for systemic transformation is no longer some future-facing hypothetical, but rather an existential imperative that demands both innovation and conscience.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 13 Feb. 2026
Maybe there’s a better example of the existential election canard.
—David M. Drucker, Twin Cities, 11 Feb. 2026
For Google, the company that organized the world’s information, the rise of generative AI represents an existential pivot point.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for existential
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Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Responsibility is a group effort For Ahmet Öksüz, chairman of the Istanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters Association, the need for systemic transformation is no longer some future-facing hypothetical, but rather an existential imperative that demands both innovation and conscience.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 13 Feb. 2026
Maybe there’s a better example of the existential election canard.
—David M. Drucker, Twin Cities, 11 Feb. 2026
For Google, the company that organized the world’s information, the rise of generative AI represents an existential pivot point.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 11 Feb. 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 18 Feb. 2026.
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