Definitions for existence
ɪgˈzɪs tənsex·is·tence

Princeton's WordNet(2.00 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. being, beingness, existence(noun)

   the state or fact of existing

   "a point of view gradually coming into being"; "laws in existence for centuries"

2. universe, existence, creation, world, cosmos, macrocosm(noun)

   everything that exists anywhere

   "they study the evolution of the universe"; "the biggest tree in existence"

Wiktionary(2.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. existence(Noun)

   The state of being, existing, or occurring; beinghood.

   Most people doubt the existence of the Loch Ness monster.

   Etymology: From existence, from existentia.

2. existence(Noun)

   empirical reality; the substance of the physical universe Dictionary of Philosophy; 1968

   Etymology: From existence, from existentia.

Webster Dictionary(3.80 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Existence(noun)

   the state of existing or being; actual possession of being; continuance in being; as, the existence of body and of soul in union; the separate existence of the soul; immortal existence

   Etymology: [Cf. F. existence.]

2. Existence(noun)

   continued or repeated manifestation; occurrence, as of events of any kind; as, the existence of a calamity or of a state of war

   Etymology: [Cf. F. existence.]

3. Existence(noun)

   that which exists; a being; a creature; an entity; as, living existences

   Etymology: [Cf. F. existence.]

Freebase(5.00 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Existence

   Existence has been variously defined by sources. In common usage, it is the world one is aware or conscious of through one's senses, and that persists independently in one's absence. Other definitions describe it as everything that 'is', or more simply, everything. Some define it to be everything that most people believe in. Aristotle relates the concept to causality. Ontology is the philosophical study of the nature of being, existence or reality in general, as well as of the basic categories of being and their relations. Traditionally listed as a part of the major branch of philosophy known as metaphysics, ontology deals with questions concerning what entities exist or can be said to exist, and how such entities can be grouped, related within a hierarchy, and subdivided according to similarities and differences. A lively debate continues about the existence of God. Epistemology studies criteria of truth, defining "primary truths" inherently accepted in the investigation of knowledge. The first is existence. It is inherent in every analysis. Its self-evident, a priori nature cannot be consistently doubted, since a person objecting to existence according to some standard of proof must implicitly accept the standard's existence as a premise.

The Roycroft Dictionary(1.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. existence

   1. A metaphysical term which originally meant joy, but which since the beginning of the Christian era has come to mean pain. 2. To be (used only in the phrase "to be damned"). 3. Merely to live, without eating or drinking. (In London, Paris and New York, this phenomenon is quite common.)

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. existence

   To exist.

   Existence is the reality of to exist.

   Submitted by MaryC on January 18, 2020  

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'existence' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1534

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'existence' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4203

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'existence' in Nouns Frequency: #713

How to pronounce existence?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say existence in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of existence in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of existence in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of existence in a Sentence

1. Émile Durkheim:

   Man's characteristic privilege is that the bond he accepts is not physical but moral; that is, social. He is governed not by a material environment brutally imposed on him, but by a conscience superior to his own, the superiority of which he feels. Because the greater, better part of his existence transcends the body, he escapes the body's yoke, but is subject to that of society.

2. Benjamin Haydon:

   The explanation of the propensity of the English people to portrait painting is to be found in their relish for a Fact. Let a man do the grandest things, fight the greatest battles, or be distinguished by the most brilliant personal heroism, yet the English people would prefer his portrait to a painting of the great deed. The likeness they can judge of; his existence is a Fact. But the truth of the picture of his deeds they cannot judge of, for they have no imagination.

3. Carly Pildis:

   Whatever void you are hoping to fill will not be filled with the barrel of a gun, the Jewish people have survived over 5,000 years of oppression and violence. Our very existence is an act of resistance. We aren't going anywhere.

4. Franklin Delano Roosevelt:

   No business which depends for its existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. By living wages I mean more than a bare subsistence level--I mean the wages of decent living.

5. Christopher Conselice:

   Our new research suggests that searches for extraterrestrial intelligent civilizations not only reveals the existence of how life forms, but also gives us clues for how long our own civilization will last, if we find that intelligent life is common then this would reveal that our civilization could exist for much longer than a few hundred years, alternatively if we find that there are no active civilizations in our Galaxy it is a bad sign for our own long-term existence. By searching for extraterrestrial intelligent life — even if we find nothing — we are discovering our own future and fate.

Images & Illustrations of existence

Popularity rank by frequency of use