existential
adjective
ex·is·ten·tial
ˌeg-(ˌ)zi-ˈsten(t)-shəl 
ˌek-(ˌ)si-
1
: of, relating to, or affirming existence
existential propositions
2
a
: grounded in existence or the experience of existence : empirical
b
: having being in time and space
3
existentially
adverb
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
Their motivation is existential survival, calculating that a weak central state better protects communal interests than HTS dominance.
—
Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
After years of fighting an existential battle for the league’s survival, WNBA players enter this bargaining cycle with a rare power: leverage.
—Jenna West, New York Times, 31 July 2025
But for public school advocates, the fight against school vouchers has been existential.
—Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Del Water Gap can’t get out of his own head, an existential maze where he gets lost in old memories and trips over threads of what could have been if only a few things had been different.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for existential
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Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
After years of fighting an existential battle for the league’s survival, WNBA players enter this bargaining cycle with a rare power: leverage.
—Jenna West, New York Times, 31 July 2025
But for public school advocates, the fight against school vouchers has been existential.
—Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Del Water Gap can’t get out of his own head, an existential maze where he gets lost in old memories and trips over threads of what could have been if only a few things had been different.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for existential
Cite this Entry
“Existential.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/existential. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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