existence
Americannoun
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the fact or state of existing; being
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the continuance or maintenance of life; living, esp in adverse circumstances
a struggle for existence
she has a wretched existence
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something that exists; a being or entity
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everything that exists, esp that is living
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of existence
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Late Latin word ex(s)istentia. See exist, -ence
Explanation
Existence is the state of being alive or being real. For example, you and your best friend disagree about the existence of Bigfoot if you think it's real and your friend doesn't. The noun existence can be used many different ways, but it always has to do with being alive or with simply "being". You can talk about the survival of something as its existence, like your yo-yo club having lost so many members that its existence is in danger. The particular way you live is another meaning of existence; if you live a quiet, lonely life in the country, you could describe it as a solitary existence.
Vocabulary lists containing existence
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 1
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List 2
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List 1
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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.
But there’s also, I believe, a stronger argument for passing on your life lessons and money, and letting your children, if they are responsible, create their own unique existence with your help.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026
Concerns about secretive central-bank deliberations had given fodder to Fed critics in Congress, particularly after Greenspan disclosed in 1993 the existence of near-verbatim transcripts of its policy meetings going back decades.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026
Every week or so, I stock up on a “bunch” of ripe bananas, stashing them alongside the apples and oranges in my fruit bowl, only to forget about their existence within a few short days.
From Salon • Jun. 20, 2026
Its existence only emerged when a parent, Glynn Brown, questioned why he could not see footage of an incident involving his son.
From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026
It had already had a very full, very improbable, very strange existence.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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.
