ˌ ̷ ̷(ˌ) ̷ ̷ˈ ̷ ̷chəˌlizəm noun
( -s )
: an introspective humanism or theory of man that holds that human existence is not exhaustively describable or understandable in either scientific or idealistic terms and relies upon a phenomenological approach that emphasizes the analysis of critical borderline situations in man's life and especially of such intensely subjective phenomena as anxiety, suffering, and feelings of guilt in order to show the need for making decisive choices through a utilization of man's freedom in an uncertain, contingent, and apparently purposeless world:
a. : a theory stating that man's individual existence precedes his essence and stressing his responsibility for fashioning his self
b. : christian existentialism