existential

IPA/ˌeɡzɪˈstenʃl/
KK[ˌɛɡzˌɪstˈɛnʃəl]IPA/ˌeɡzɪˈstenʃl/

existential — 形容詞

  • existentialpositive
  • more existentialcomparative
  • most existentialsuperlative

1. connected with the fact of existing, staying alive, or facing the deepest condit

1.形容詞C1
釋義

存在的

和生存或人生意義本身有關

connected with the fact of existing, staying alive, or facing the deepest conditions of human life and meaning.

例句

Rising seas pose an existential threat to Tuvalu and other low islands.

上升的海平面對 Tuvalu 和其他低海拔島嶼構成了存在威脅。

collocation: existential threat

After losing his job, Emre faced an existential crisis about purpose and identity.

失業後，Emre 面臨了一場關於人生目的與自我認同的存在危機。

collocation: existential crisis

同義詞
  • 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

❌The delayed bus created an existential problem for me.
✅The delayed bus created a practical problem for me.
💡use 'existential' for survival or meaning-of-life issues, not small everyday inconvenience.

2. relating to the philosophy that says people are free to choose their actions and

2.形容詞C2
釋義

存在主義的

和存在主義哲學及其觀點有關

relating to the philosophy that says people are free to choose their actions and must create meaning for themselves.

例句

The seminar compared existential writers with religious thinkers from the same period.

這場研討會把存在主義作家和同時期的宗教思想家放在一起比較。

existential + writers / ideas / themes

Nikos gave an existential reading of the play, focusing on freedom and choice.

Nikos 以存在主義的角度解讀這部戲劇，聚焦在自由與選擇。

an existential reading of + text

同義詞
  • 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

❌She studies the existential at university.
✅She studies existential philosophy at university.
💡'existential' is an adjective and needs a noun in this meaning.

3. rooted in the direct experience of being alive, felt as a real human reality rat

3.形容詞C2
釋義

切身的

根植於親身活著的經驗，不只理論

rooted in the direct experience of being alive, felt as a real human reality rather than as a theory alone.

例句

After months in camp, safety was no longer an idea but an existential reality.

在營地住了幾個月後，安全不再只是個概念，而成了切身的存在現實。

collocation: existential reality

The poet writes about grief with existential honesty that comes from lived pain.

這位詩人書寫悲傷時帶著一種切身的存在誠實，因為那來自活生生的痛苦。

existential honesty grounded in experience

同義詞
  • 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'

反義詞
  • 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.

常見錯誤

❌The report gives an existential model of trade.
✅The report gives a theoretical model of trade.
💡this sense is about lived human reality, not an abstract system or model.