existential

ex·is·ten·tial

adj
\ˌeg-(ˌ)zis-ˈten(t)-shəl, ˌek-(ˌ)sis-\

Definition of EXISTENTIAL

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

[translation of Danish eksistentiel & German existential] : existentialist

— ex·is·ten·tial·ly adverb

Examples of EXISTENTIAL

1. <child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim believed that fairy tales help children cope with their existential anxieties and dilemmas>

First Known Use of EXISTENTIAL

1693

Related to EXISTENTIAL

Synonyms: empirical, experiential, experimental, objective, observational

Antonyms: nonempirical, theoretical (also theoretic), unempirical

Related Words: actual, factual, genuine, hard, material, real; accepted, established, tried, tried-and-true; indisputable, undeniable; demonstrable, provable, verifiable

Near Antonyms: conjectural, hypothetical, speculative; unproven, unsubstantiated; metaphysical, transcendentalist, visionary

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Other Philosophy Terms

dialectic, dualism, epistemology, existentialism, metaphysics, ontology, sequitur, solipsism, transcendentalism

Rhymes with EXISTENTIAL

differential, inessential, influential, nonessential