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We are always doing something to cover up our basic existential anxiety. Some people live that way until the day they die.
Joko Beck

Meaning of "existential" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF EXISTENTIAL

existential  [ˌɛɡzɪˈstɛnʃəl] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF EXISTENTIAL

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Existential can act as a noun and an adjective.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

WHAT DOES EXISTENTIAL MEAN IN ENGLISH?

existential

Existentialism

Existentialism is a term applied to the work of certain late 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual. In existentialism, the individual's starting point is characterized by what has been called "the existential attitude", or a sense of disorientation and confusion in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world. Many existentialists have also regarded traditional systematic or academic philosophies, in both style and content, as too abstract and remote from concrete human experience. Søren Kierkegaard is generally considered to have been the first existentialist philosopher, though he did not use the term existentialism. He proposed that each individual—not society or religion—is solely responsible for giving meaning to life and living it passionately and sincerely. Existentialism became popular in the years following World War II, and strongly influenced many disciplines besides philosophy, including theology, drama, art, literature, and psychology.

Definition of existential in the English dictionary

The first definition of existential in the dictionary is of or relating to existence, esp human existence. Other definition of existential is pertaining to what exists, and is thus known by experience rather than reason; empirical as opposed to theoretical. Existential is also denoting or relating to a formula or proposition asserting the existence of at least one object fulfilling a given condition; containing an existential quantifier.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH EXISTENTIAL


confidential
ˌkɒnfɪˈdɛnʃəl
consequential
ˌkɒnsɪˈkwɛnʃəl
credential
krɪˈdɛnʃəl
differential
ˌdɪfəˈrɛnʃəl
equipotential
ˌiːkwɪpəˈtɛnʃəl
essential
ɪˈsɛnʃəl
experiential
ɪkˌspɪərɪˈɛnʃəl
exponential
ˌɛkspəʊˈnɛnʃəl
influential
ˌɪnflʊˈɛnʃəl
multipotential
ˌmʌltɪpəˈtɛnʃəl
penitential
ˌpɛnɪˈtɛnʃəl
plenipotential
ˌplɛnɪpəˈtɛnʃəl
potential
pəˈtɛnʃəl
preferential
ˌprɛfəˈrɛnʃəl
prudential
pruːˈdɛnʃəl
quintessential
ˌkwɪntɪˈsɛnʃəl
residential
ˌrɛzɪˈdɛnʃəl
sentential
sɛnˈtɛnʃəl
sequential
sɪˈkwɛnʃəl
subsistential
ˌsʌbsɪsˈtɛnʃəl

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE EXISTENTIAL

exiler
exilian
exilic
exility
eximious
eximiously
exine
exist
existence
existent
existential quantifier
existentialism
existentialist
existentially
existing
exit
exit interview
exit permit
exit poll
exit pupil

WORDS THAT END LIKE EXISTENTIAL

action potential
chemical potential
circumferential
circumstantial
growth potential
inconsequential
inessential
inferential
initial
jurisprudential
nonresidential
precedential
presidential
referential
reverential
self-referential
substantial
torrential
unessential
unsubstantial
vice-presidential

Synonyms and antonyms of existential in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «existential» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF EXISTENTIAL

Find out the translation of existential to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of existential from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «existential» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

存在
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

existencial
570 millions of speakers

English

existential
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

अस्तित्व
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

وجودي
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

экзистенциальная
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

existencial
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

অস্তিত্ববাদের
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

existentiel
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Eksistensi
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

existentielle
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

実存的な
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

실존
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Eksistensial
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

hiện sinh
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

இருத்தலியல்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

अस्तीत्वसंबंधी
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

varoluşsal
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

esistenziale
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

egzystencjalna
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

екзистенційна
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

existențial
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

υπαρξιακή
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

eksistensiële
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

existentiell
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

eksistensiell
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of existential

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «EXISTENTIAL»

The term «existential» is quite widely used and occupies the 31.224 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
86
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «existential» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of existential
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «existential».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «EXISTENTIAL» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «existential» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «existential» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about existential

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «EXISTENTIAL»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word existential.
1
Ellen Barkin
I guess I worry about weird existential things, like how do we spend our final act. This is a very emotional question. I can't answer it without crying. I think, You're 56 years old, what did you do? You raised two good kids. What am I going to do now that is as meaningful as that? I don't know the answer yet.
2
Thomas P.M. Barnett
The Air Force has it far worse than the Navy in terms of existential fears, primarily due to the rapid rise and unbelievable dissemination of drones, where seemingly now every military unit has their own miniature air wing of what would have recently passed as toys.
3
Mark Barrowcliffe
There was a time when people had the decency to wait until they were approaching 50 to have a mid-life crisis. Now it seems many thirtysomethings find themselves succumbing to existential navel-gazing.
4
Joko Beck
We are always doing something to cover up our basic existential anxiety. Some people live that way until the day they die.
5
Preet Bharara
The alarm bells sound regularly: cybergeddon; the next Pearl Harbor; one of the greatest existential threats facing the United States. With increasing frequency, these are the grave terms officials invoke about the menace of cybercrime - and they're not understating the threat.
6
Sergey Brin
I feel there's an existential angst among young people. I didn't have that. They see enormous mountains, where I only saw one little hill to climb.
7
Carrie Brownstein
I think that half of us feel fraudulent in our lives anyway. There's that strange disconnect of not really knowing what we're doing sometimes, or why it matters. It's our existential crisis.
8
Bo Burnham
Once a week, I like to slip into a deep existential depression where I lose all my sense of oneness and self-worth.
9
Dana Carvey
I don't find biology as interesting as politics and humanism. I talk more about existential stuff.
10
J. C. Chandor
There is certainly a part of my filmmaking that harkens to a more simpler commercial kind of taste, but then with this there's certainly a kind of avant-garde, abstract, existential element to it.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «EXISTENTIAL»

Discover the use of existential in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to existential and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Existential America
After introducing the concept of an American existential tradition, Cotkin examines how formal existentialism first arrived in America in the 1930s through discussion of Kierkegaard and the early vogue among New York intellectuals for the ...
George Cotkin, 2005
2
Handbook of Experimental Existential Psychology
This volume bridges this longstanding divide by demonstrating how rigorous experimental methods can be applied to understanding key existential concerns, including death, uncertainty, identity, meaning, morality, isolation, determinism, and ...
Jeff Greenberg, Sander L. Koole, Tom Pyszczynski, 2013
3
Existential Psychotherapy
Describes the approach of a therapy focusing on the patient's concern with death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness
Irvin D. Yalom, 1980
4
Existential Art Therapy: The Canvas Mirror
A classic in art therapy literature since its introduction nearly two decades ago, this book is an expression of the author's desire to link the practice of art psychotherapy to the core issues of life as presented in existentialism.
Bruce L. Moon, 2009
5
The Existential Pleasures of Engineering
In this second edition of his popular Existential Pleasures of Engineering, Samuel Florman explores how engineers think and feel about their profession.
Samuel C. Florman, 1996
6
Existential Anthropology: Events, Exigencies and Effects
Throughout this compelling work, Jackson demonstrates that existentialism, far from being a philosophy of individual being, enables us to explore issues of social existence and coexistence in new ways, and to theorise events as the sites of ...
Michael Jackson, 2005
7
Existential Therapies
If I were to teach this course, I would use this book. I applaud Mick Cooper for having admirably achieved the aim he set out to achieve.
Mick Cooper, 2003
8
Existential Technics
This collection of essays is a philosophical reflection on and critique of human experience from a clearly American perspective guided by phenomenological analysis. This book is divided into three parts.
Don Ihde, 1983
9
Irrational Man: A Study in Existential Philosophy
Widely recognized as the finest definition of existentialist Philosophy, this book introduced existentialism to America in 1958.
William Barrett, 2011
10
Therapy with Children: An Existential Perspective
`Illustrated throughout with vibrant case examples, this philosophically-rich text opens up an important dialogue about the application of existential ideas to therapeutic work with children.
Chris Scalzo, 2010

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «EXISTENTIAL»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term existential is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Joint Chiefs Nominee Says Russia Could Pose 'Existential Threat …
"[If] you want to talk about a nation that could pose an existential threat to the United States, I'd have to point to Russia," he told senators. «NPR, Jul 15»
2
Neo-Confederates' existential crisis: Why they can't hide their racism …
Neo-Confederates' existential crisis: Why they can't hide their racism any longer. For decades, the coalition has shrouded its politics in the ... «Salon, Jul 15»
3
There's no existential threat against Israel
I will begin with concluding right off that the State of Israel is not at present under any form of existential security threat from within or from ... «Jerusalem Post Israel News, Jul 15»
4
Five tips for relationship happiness from existential philosophers
Skye Cleary, the author of Existentialism and Romantic Love reaches for her existential classics for help, with five philosophical tips for a happy ... «ABC Online, Jul 15»
5
The Existential Threat to Israel
This enhances his credibility when he tells the world that Israel is in existential danger and that his only agenda is a reality check regarding this ... «American Thinker, Jul 15»
6
Hating on Junkies and Drunks Shows an Embarrassing Lack of …
... neighborhood," is the author's lack of existential sympathy with a class of people who spend much of the day and night high or drunk or both. «TheStranger.com, Jul 15»
7
NOW HEAR THIS: Ought make existential anxiety cool again …
Just when you thought existential anxiety was, like, a decade out of fashion, here comes the latest from Montreal-based tangle-of-worries Ought ... «ChartAttack, Jul 15»
8
Pat Buchanan: Europe's real existential crisis
However the Greek crisis ends, whether with Athens leaving the eurozone, or submitting and accepting austerity at the dictates of its creditors, ... «The Union Leader, Jul 15»
9
Iran's kumbaya video: let's cut the deal and turn to 'existential battle …
On Friday Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif put out a kumbaya-spirited video, saying that Iran welcomes the deal as an alternative to military ... «Mondoweiss, Jul 15»
10
Boutiques face existential threat as time runs out on MiFID II
Smaller fund firms have been left in limbo as delays in finalising dealing commission regulations leave them unsure of the future of their ... «Investment Week, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Existential [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/existential>. May 2024 ».
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