definitions
  • synonyms

existential

[ eg-zi-sten-shuh l, ek-si- ]
/ ˌɛg zɪˈstɛn ʃəl, ˌɛk sɪ- /
|

adjective

pertaining to existence.
of, relating to, or characteristic of existentialism: an existential hero.

Nearby words

exine, exist, existence, existence theorem, existent, existential, existential psychology, existential quantifier, existentialism, existentialist, existing

Origin of existential

First recorded in 1685–95, existential is from the Late Latin word existentiālis relating to existing. See existence, -al1
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for existentially

  • The other characters struggle, too, to varying material degrees, but all existentially.

    Great Weekend Reads|The Daily Beast|November 20, 2010|DAILY BEAST

  • It is not easy to avoid the conclusion that Dewey conceives of 'consciousness' as a construct of existentially distinct terms.

    John Dewey's logical theory|Delton Thomas Howard

  • Light is really, physically, existentially, refracted into these forms.

    Creative Intelligence|John Dewey, Addison W. Moore, Harold Chapman Brown, George H. Mead, Boyd H. Bode, Henry Waldgrave, Stuart James, Hayden Tufts, Horace M. Kallen

  • They exist only so long as they are apprehended; and they are numerically and existentially distinct in each individual mind.

    A Commentary to Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason'|Norman Kemp Smith

British Dictionary definitions for existentially

existential

/ (ˌɛɡzɪˈstɛnʃəl) /

adjective

of or relating to existence, esp human existence
philosophy pertaining to what exists, and is thus known by experience rather than reason; empirical as opposed to theoretical
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
of or relating to existentialism

noun logic

  1. an existential statement or formula
  2. short for existential quantifier
Derived Formsexistentially, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for existentially

existential

adj.

1690s, "pertaining to existence," from Late Latin existentialis/exsistentialis, from existentia/exsistentia (see existence). As a term in logic, from 1819; in philosophy, from 1937, tracing back to the Danish works of Kierkegaard (see existentialism). Related: Existentially.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper