Existential
adjective /ˌɛɡzɪˈstɛnʃ(ə)l/ — Relating to the raw fact and weight of being alive.
Definition
Concerned with existence and the experience of being; relating to the fundamental questions of human life — meaning, freedom, choice, and the awareness of mortality.
Beyond the definition
Existential gets used loosely ('an existential threat') but in its philosophical home it refers to the specific experience of confronting your own existence — your freedom, your finitude, your responsibility for what you do with both. It's the feeling at 3am when the usual distractions have failed.
Origin & history
From Latin existentia — 'existence', from existere 'to come into being'. The philosophical movement of Existentialism formalized the term in the 20th century through Sartre, Camus, and Heidegger.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The diagnosis created an existential shift — what had seemed urgent suddenly didn't matter.
She had an existential crisis not in her twenties, but at fifty, when she had everything and felt nothing.
Existential questions don't have answers — they have orientations.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Existential” when the meaning fits your context: Concerned with existence and the experience of being; relating to the fundamental questions of human life — meaning, freedom, choice, and the awareness of mortality.
Synonyms
philosophical, metaphysical, fundamental, concerning being
Antonyms
trivial, superficial, incidental
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Between States of Being
A lone person stands on a deserted railway station platform at dusk, with shadows dividing the light and darkness.
The station platform is a liminal space, mirroring the existential focus on the human experience of choice and the awareness of being between different states of life. It highlights the weight of one's own presence.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Existential" mean?
Existential is adjective meaning: Relating to the raw fact and weight of being alive.. Concerned with existence and the experience of being; relating to the fundamental questions of human life — meaning, freedom, choice, and the awareness of mortality.
Where does the word "Existential" come from?
From Latin existentia — 'existence', from existere 'to come into being'. The philosophical movement of Existentialism formalized the term in the 20th century through Sartre, Camus, and Heidegger.