existential

American  

[eg-zi-sten-shuhl, ek-si-] / ˌɛg zɪˈstɛn ʃəl, ˌɛk sɪ- /

adjective

1. of or relating to existence.

   Does climate change pose an existential threat to humanity?

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of philosophical existentialism; concerned with the nature of human existence as determined by the individual's freely made choices.

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existential British  

/ ˌɛɡzɪˈstɛnʃəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to existence, esp human existence

2. philosophy pertaining to what exists, and is thus known by experience rather than reason; empirical as opposed to theoretical

3. logic denoting or relating to a formula or proposition asserting the existence of at least one object fulfilling a given condition; containing an existential quantifier

4. of or relating to existentialism

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noun

1. 1. an existential statement or formula

   2. short for existential quantifier

Usage

What does existential mean? Existential is an adjective meaning “relating to existence,” but what does that even mean? What does anything mean? What is our purpose in the universe? These are existential questions. Existential is often used in relation to existentialism, a philosophical movement that suggests that existence (life, the universe, and everything) has no meaning except for the meaning that individuals create for themselves. Existential is also often used to describe a scenario in which someone or something’s very existence or being is threatened or in question, especially in phrases like existential threat. Example: Though unlikely, an asteroid strike would be an existential threat to the planet.

Other Word Forms

• existentially
  adverb
• nonexistential
  adjective
• nonexistentially
  adverb
• unexistential
  adjective
• unexistentially
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of existential

First recorded in 1685–95, existential is from the Late Latin word existentiālis “relating to existing”; see existence, -al ¹

Explanation

If something is existential, it has to do with human existence. If you wrestle with big questions involving the meaning of life, you may be having an existential crisis. Existential can also relate to existence in a more concrete way. For instance, the objections of your mother-in-law may pose an existential threat to the continuation of your Friday night card game. Often the word carries at least a nodding reference to the philosophy of existentialism associated with Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, and others, which emphasizes the individual as a free agent responsible for his actions.

Example Sentences

Musk’s lawsuit is an existential threat to that relationship as he seeks to wind OpenAI back to its 2015 nonprofit roots—as well as undo its special relationship with Microsoft.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Those in the industry who most fear what artificial superintelligence could bring have told the Trump administration that talks with China are an existential necessity.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026

The presence of speculators in the cocoa market, and longer-term risks to supply chains including the existential threat of climate change, means that cocoa volatility will continue, van Dort said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

What looked close to an existential crisis in late March had become manageable by mid-April.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

He maintained, for example, at one time that all existential propositions are meaningless.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• experiential