English Explanatory Dictionary

existence

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The state of being, existing, or occurring; beinghood.
  2. Empirical reality; the substance of the physical universe. (Dictionary of Philosophy; 1968)

Pronunciation

/ɛɡˈzɪs.təns/ /ɪɡˈzɪs.təns/ en-us-existence.ogg

Word forms

existence existences

Etymology

From Middle English existence, from Old French existence, from Late Latin existentia (“existence”), from existēns, from existō, exsistō (“I am, I exist”), from ex (“out”) + sistere (“to set, place”) (related to stare (“to stand, to be stood”)), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti, from the root *steh₂- (“stand”). Cognate with Spanish existencia, French existence, German Existenz. Morphologically exist + -ence.

Synonyms

being beinghood beingness dasein existence hereness subsistence presence

Antonyms

nonexistence nothingness inexistence

Related words

exist aseity existential entity

Derived words

bane of someone's existence co-existence coexistence existenceless inexistence in existence non-existence nonexistence postexistence preexistence self-existence three marks of existence timeless existence unexistence waste of existence
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