existential
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to existence.
Does climate change pose an existential threat to humanity?
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of philosophical existentialism; concerned with the nature of human existence as determined by the individual's freely made choices.
adjective
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of or relating to existence, esp human existence
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philosophy pertaining to what exists, and is thus known by experience rather than reason; empirical as opposed to theoretical
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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
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of or relating to existentialism
noun
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
Derived Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing existential
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Existential inquiry is an artistic staple, but typically it tends toward big gestures and grand declarations — see extravagant and flamboyant Abstract Expressionist paintings of the late-1940s and 1950s for examples.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2025
Perhaps his committee would be better named DOEC, the Department of Existential Crisis.
From Salon • Dec. 4, 2024
Existential fears aside, the commercial potential could be large.
From Reuters • Jul. 17, 2023
Braden is the Seattle guy who had transitory fame in 2012 with his Henri the Existential Cat video.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 24, 2022
Existential: There was a curse on the kingdom.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
