existential
UK /ˌɛɡzɪˈstɛnʃl̩/ · US /ˌɛɡzɪˈstɛn(t)ʃəl/ adjective
Forms existentials
- adjective Of or relating to existence.
- adjective Concerning the very existence of something, especially with regard to evading extinction. “an existential risk or threat”
- adjective Of an assertion, etc.: assuming or suggesting the existence of something.
- adjective Of or relating to existentialism (“a philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices”).
- adjective (linguistics) Relating to part of a clause that indicates existence (for example, there is).
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
The adjective is a learned borrowing from Late Latin existentiālis, exsistentiālis (“coming into or relating to existence”) + English -al (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives; and forming nouns of verbal action). Existentiālis, exsistentiālis are derived from Late Latin existentia, exsistentia (“existence”) + Latin -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship); and existentia, exsistentia from Latin existēns, exsistēns (“being, existing; appearing, emerging; becoming”) (the present active participle of existō, exsistō (“to be, exist; to appear, emerge; to become”), from ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’) + sistō (“to cause to stand; to place, set; to halt, stop”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand (up)”))) + -ia (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns).
The noun is derived from the adjective.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “existential”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details