Word
existential
Phoneticsex·is·ten·tial
US/ˌɛɡˌzɪsˈtɛnʃəɫ/
UK/ɛɡzɪstˈɛnʃəl/
Definition
adj. relating to human existence or the experience of being alive. It often describes a serious threat to something's very survival or a deep questioning of life's meaning.
adj. relating to existence, especially human existence as viewed in philosophy. Often describes a threat that jeopardizes the continued survival of an entity or a crisis concerning the purpose of life.
Examples
“The company faces an existential threat from new technology.”
“Climate change is often described as an existential challenge because it threatens the future of human civilization.”
“The protagonist's existential dread stems from the realization that his daily routines lack any inherent purpose or lasting significance in the grander scheme of the universe.”
Examples
simple
“The company faces an existential threat from new technology.”
contextual
“Climate change is often described as an existential challenge because it threatens the future of human civilization.”
complex
“The protagonist's existential dread stems from the realization that his daily routines lack any inherent purpose or lasting significance in the grander scheme of the universe.”
Usage
Commonly used in the phrases 'existential threat' and 'existential crisis'.
Real-World Examples
Common in culture writing
“Over the past 18 months, Carney has alternated between describing the trade threat from Donald Trump as an existential threat to Canada and claiming we have the best trade deal in the world.” “The narrator of American nonfiction author Michael Clune’s first novel is the 15-year-old Nicholas, who lives with his father in a housing development so cheap and deracinated it inspires existential terror.” Etymology
The adjective is a learned borrowing from Late Latin existentialis, exsistentialis (“coming into or relating to existence”) + English -al (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives; and forming nouns of verbal action). Existentialis, exsistentialis 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/existential