|eg(ˌ)zi|stenchəl, -gzə|-, |ek(ˌ)si|-, -ksə|- adjective
Etymology: Late Latin existentialis, exsistentialis, from existentia, exsistentia + Latin -alis -al
1. : of, relating to, or dealing with existence
the existential ‘is’ which in our logic connects the two parts of a proposition — E.R.Hughes
2. logic
a. : assertive either explicitly or by implication of existence or actuality as opposed to mere possibility, conceivability, or ideality or to mere explication of a meaning
definitions are not existential propositions
b. : making an assertion about the extension as opposed to the intension of the subject term
3.
a. : grounded in existence : having being in time and space
formal logicians … are not concerned with existential matters which are precisely what artists are concerned with — John Dewey
b. : based on the experience of existence : empirical as contrasted with theoretical or abstract
the problem of aesthetic objectivity or, more precisely, the existential status of aesthetic values — Hunter Mead
4.
[translation of Danish eksistentiel & German existential ]
: concerned with or involving human existence or its nature : existentialist
• ex·is·ten·tial·ly -əlē, -li adverb