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.
Many top Chinese academics have warned about the existential risk that AI poses to humans. Jason Hausenloy, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2025 This is the ultimate existential risk about AI that everyone keeps bringing up. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025 The Republicans’ shrewd assault on transgender rights put the Democrats on the defensive and effectively camouflaged the existential menace of Project 2025. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 July 2025 One day, one of the family's chickens died, which prompted an existential conversation with her daughter. Jeff Nelson, People.com, 18 July 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 22 Jul. 2025.

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