existential
ex·is·tent·i·al/ˌɛɡzɪˈstɛn(t)ʃəl/adjective, noun
existential is spelled E-X-I-S-T-E-N-T-I-A-L: 11 letters and 5 syllables (ex·is·tent·i·al). It appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,613th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, existential means “Of or relating to existence” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in existential?
| Letters | 11: E-X-I-S-T-E-N-T-I-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5: ex·is·tent·i·al |
| In writing | 3.0 times per million words; the 15,613th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is existential?
Existential appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,613th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce existential?
- UK /ˌɛɡzɪˈstɛnʃl̩/
- US /ˌɛɡzɪˈstɛn(t)ʃəl/
- US /ˌɛksɪ-/
Existential has 5 syllables, split ex·is·tent·i·al in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-existential.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-existential.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with existential?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as existential from its last stressed vowel (/ɛnʃəl/):
- potential
- essential
- influential
- confidential
- prudential
- consequential
- experiential
- circumferential
- reverential
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of existential
- more existential comparative
- most existential superlative
- existentials plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does existential mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to existence.
- 2
Concerning the very existence of something, especially with regard to evading extinction.
an existential risk or threat
- 3
Of an assertion, etc.: assuming or suggesting the existence of something.
- 4
Of or relating to existentialism (“a philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices”).
- 5
Relating to part of a clause that indicates existence (for example, there is).
noun
- 1
Ellipsis of existential clause (“a clause that indicates the existence of something”).
- 2
Ellipsis of existential type (“in a type system: a type that hides the underlying concrete type(s)”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Existential in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | existentiel |
| German | existentiell |
| Portuguese | existencial |
| Spanish | existencial , existencialista |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does existential come from?
The adjective is a learned borrowing from Late Latin existentiālis, exsistentiālis (“coming into or relating to existence”) + English -al (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives; and forming nouns of verbal action).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).