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# existential

«existential» in Mova's school dictionary: **to do with existence, especially the big questions about…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (existential)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Existential means to do with existence, especially the big questions about why we exist and what life means. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/existential/#m1)

2) An existential threat or danger is one that could end something completely, such as a species, a country or the world. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/existential/#m2)

3) (informal) An «existential crisis» is a time when someone worries deeply about the meaning of their life, often used jokingly. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/existential/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In philosophy and big-questions lessons, existential questions are «Why am I here?» and «What is the point of life?». In the news, climate change or a war may be called an existential threat. Young people sometimes joke about having an existential crisis over small things. Phrases: «existential questions», «existential threat», «existential crisis».

### examples

- Asking «Why do we exist?» is an existential question. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/existential/#x1)
- Some scientists call climate change an existential threat. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/existential/#x2)
- My brother had an existential crisis when he turned eighteen. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/existential/#x3)
- Losing its forest is an existential danger for the orangutan. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/existential/#x4)
- Philosophers have argued about existential ideas for centuries. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/existential/#x5)
- «I'm having an existential crisis about which cereal to choose,» joked Mum. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/existential/#x6)

### note

Formal word. Related: exist, existence; existentialism (a philosophy of the 1900s). In grammar, «there is / there are» is called an existential sentence.

### In the corpora

- ["Existential" questions are big questions about life and why we are here; almost everyone wonders about them sometimes.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/2-grief-has-no-timetable-houses-anniversaries-and-big-questions/14/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «existential» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/existential/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.