existential
existential — adjective
- existentialpositive
- more existentialcomparative
- most existentialsuperlative
1. connected with the fact of existing, staying alive, or facing the deepest condit
connected with the fact of existing, staying alive, or facing the deepest conditions of human life and meaning.
Rising seas pose an existential threat to Tuvalu and other low islands.
collocation: existential threat
After losing his job, Emre faced an existential crisis about purpose and identity.
collocation: existential crisis
The novel asks existential questions about death, freedom, and why people suffer.
The war turned food and shelter into existential concerns for millions.
- life-and-death
narrower and more dramatic; mainly about immediate physical survival
- fundamental
broader; means basic or central, without necessarily implying existence itself
- ontological
more technical and philosophical; focuses on the nature of being
文法句型
existential threat / crisis / question
pose an existential threat to + noun
用法筆記
Usually appears before nouns such as 'threat', 'crisis', 'question', or 'concern'. This sense can refer either to literal survival or to the deepest issues of human life. Distinguish from sense 1, which belongs to existentialist philosophy, and from sense 3, which stresses lived experience rather than existence in general.
常見錯誤
2. relating to the philosophy that says people are free to choose their actions and
relating to the philosophy that says people are free to choose their actions and must create meaning for themselves.
The seminar compared existential writers with religious thinkers from the same period.
existential + writers / ideas / themes
Nikos gave an existential reading of the play, focusing on freedom and choice.
an existential reading of + text
Her thesis links existential philosophy to the fear of living without purpose.
In class, Professor Hale explained existential themes in Sartre and Camus.
- existentialist
closer to the named movement and its followers
- philosophical
broader; can refer to any branch of philosophy, not only existentialism
- metaphysical
narrower in a different way; often focuses on being and reality rather than choice and freedom
文法句型
existential + noun
an existential reading of + noun
用法筆記
Most often modifies nouns such as 'philosophy', 'writer', 'theme', 'reading', or 'question' in literary and academic contexts. Distinguish from sense 2, which is about existence or survival more generally rather than the school of philosophy itself.
常見錯誤
3. rooted in the direct experience of being alive, felt as a real human reality rat
rooted in the direct experience of being alive, felt as a real human reality rather than as a theory alone.
After months in camp, safety was no longer an idea but an existential reality.
collocation: existential reality
The poet writes about grief with existential honesty that comes from lived pain.
existential honesty grounded in experience
In the interview, Reema spoke from existential experience rather than political theory.
The novel's power lies in its existential truth about loneliness after sudden loss.
- experiential
more general; based on direct experience
- empirical
stresses observation and evidence, often in research settings
- lived
plain-language word often used before 'experience' or 'reality'
- theoretical
based on ideas rather than direct experience
- abstract
removed from immediate human experience
文法句型
existential reality / truth / experience
grounded in existential experience
用法筆記
Mainly found in formal literary, philosophical, and psychological writing. It usually modifies abstract nouns such as 'reality', 'truth', 'experience', or 'honesty'. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense stresses what is personally lived and felt, not existence in a broad or general way.