existential

adjective

ex·​is·​ten·​tial ˌeg-(ˌ)zi-ˈsten(t)-shəl How to pronounce existential (audio)
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
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.
However, even that would not present an existential danger to the overall Russian deployment. Paul Iddon, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025 In these moments, an intense, nearly existential bewilderment sets in, usually followed by rage. Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2025 My colleagues in medicine and public health are haunted by the trauma yet uplifted by our resilience having survived an existential test. Christian Ramers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025 Koogler is interested in human smallness, in our cosmic lack of control, and the softness of his gaze can render Deep Blue Sound’s exploration of existential uncertainty wonderfully funny and affecting in some moments, diffused and aimless in others. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for existential

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin existentiālis, exsistentiālis, from existentia, exsistentia existence + Latin -ālis -al entry 1; in the 19th and 20th centuries in part as translation of Danish existentiel (later eksistentiel) & German existentiell

Note: Compare "Existentielt Indlæg" ("existential contribution") in the subtitle of Søren Kierkegaard's Afsluttende uvidenskabelig Efterskrift til de philosophiske Smuler (1846; Concluding Unscientific Postscript to the Philosophical Fragments), used also elsewhere in the work.

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of existential was in 1656

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Cite this Entry

“Existential.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/existential. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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