as in empirical
based on observation or experience
child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim believed that fairy tales help children cope with their existential anxieties and dilemmas
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Recent Examples of existential
Over the last decade or so, AI has been pitched as everything from an existential threat to a potential industry savior.
—
Laura Clayton McDonnell, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Jerusalem views a nuclear-armed Tehran as an existential threat.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2025
But with a two-thirds majority in both houses, the presiding officers could expand the agenda to address the existential threat to local land-use planning in Florida, while preserving the good elements in SB 180.
—Paul Owens, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2025
For many smaller operators, tariffs pose an existential threat that could allow big corporate rivals to expand their market shares, as the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce and independent shop owners themselves have warned.
—Steve Kopack, NBC news, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for existential
Laura Clayton McDonnell, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Jerusalem views a nuclear-armed Tehran as an existential threat.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2025
But with a two-thirds majority in both houses, the presiding officers could expand the agenda to address the existential threat to local land-use planning in Florida, while preserving the good elements in SB 180.
—Paul Owens, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2025
For many smaller operators, tariffs pose an existential threat that could allow big corporate rivals to expand their market shares, as the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce and independent shop owners themselves have warned.
—Steve Kopack, NBC news, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for existential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for existential
Adjective
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Instead the internet and social media accelerated a process in which the whole notion of an empirical truth has become watered down and distorted.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
15 May 2025
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Decisions were made on the basis of rigorous empirical research and vetting through the minds of the experts — the men and women who led the agencies.—
Michael Eric Siegel,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The idea that there are no objective facts, only perceptions, has gained currency in recent decades.—
James T. Kloppenberg,
Time,
28 May 2025
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In this reality, truth becomes less about objective absolutes and more about process.—
Rhea Wessel,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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These experimental vaccines appear to provide slightly stronger protection against both variants.—
Alice Park,
Time,
28 May 2025
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For example, my agency recently shot an experimental commercial for a carmaker that leveraged a hybrid approach to create alternate versions—one in snow and one in the desert.—
Dustin Callif,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Existential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/existential. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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