# existential

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˌɛɡzɪˈstɛnʃl̩/ · frequency rank #15,607

## Definitions
1. Of or relating to existence.
2. Of or relating to existence.
3. Of or relating to existence.
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).

## 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.

## Common misspellings (16)
`eixstential`, `exisetntial`, `exisstential`, `existenital`, `existenntial`, `existentail`, `existentiall`, `existentila`, `existenttial`, `existetnial`, `existnetial`, `existtential`, `exitsential`, `exsitential`, `exxistential`, `xeistential`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/existential