What does existence mean?

Definitions for existence
ɪgˈzɪs tənsex·is·tence

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word existence.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. being, beingness, existencenoun

    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, macrocosmnoun

    everything that exists anywhere

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

Wiktionary

  1. existencenoun

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

    Most people doubt the existence of the Loch Ness monster.

  2. existencenoun

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

  3. Etymology: From existence, from existentia.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Existence, Existencynoun

    State of being; actual possession of being.

    Etymology: existentia, low Latin.

    Nor is only the existency of this animal considerable, but many things delivered thereof. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours, b. iii.

    It is impossible any being can be eternal with successive eternal physical changes, or variety of states or manner of existency, naturally and necessarily concomitant unto it. Matthew Hale.

    The soul, secur’d in her existence, smiles
    At the drawn dagger, and defies its point. Joseph Addison, Cato.

    When a being is considered as possible, it is said to have an essence or nature: such were all things before the creation. When it is considered as actual, then it is said to have existence also. Isaac Watts, Logick.

ChatGPT

  1. existence

    Existence refers to the state or fact of being real or living, having presence in reality or actuality. It can also denote the ability or capacity to continue living or being. Existence is often used in philosophical discussions to contemplate the nature of life, conscious experience, or the universe as a whole.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Existencenoun

    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

  2. Existencenoun

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

  3. Existencenoun

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

  4. Etymology: [Cf. F. existence.]

Wikidata

  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. 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

  1. existencenoun

    The fact or state of living or having objective reality. Continued survival. A way of living. Any of a person's supposed current, future, or past lives on this earth. A being or entity. All that matters. 1.) Exodus outside of Egypt when God ingrained Israel to us for redeeming covenants on earth.

    Existence is a person, place, and thing; future, pass, and right now for the believers of the Most High and the Messiah.

    Etymology: Truth in matter


    Submitted by Tehorah_Elyon on March 28, 2024  


  2. existence

    To exist.

    Existence is the reality of to exist.


    Submitted by MaryC on January 18, 2020  

Matched Categories

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

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce existence?

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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. Craig Robinson:

    They have been in existence for quite a while, long before Carson even started showing up in the state. That longevity gives them an advantage, because for a long time, it was people's only way to contact anyone in the Carson orbit, so people are used to dealing with them, i think the big problem is that campaign is going to be in the dark about what the PAC is doing. For example, does the PAC have someone lined up to speak at my caucus or does the campaign? What if there are two people who think they are going to do it, or worse, nobody? Caucus campaigns require a lot of attention to detail, so extra hands in the kitchen on caucus night could make things messy in a hurry.

  2. Nour Odeh:

    Although the PA causes a lot of problems to Israel… we have much more profits from the existence of the PA than from its vanishing.

  3. Sir Francis Bacon:

    For whatever deserves to exist deserves also to be known, for knowledge is the image of existence, and things mean and splendid exist alike.

  4. Jane Campbell:

    This is the longest period of time that the Capitol has not been accessible to the American people generally in the history of its existence.

  5. Kedar Joshi:

    God is the ultimate philosophical questioner, the one who asks the logically paradoxical ultimate philosophical question about the nature of his own existence.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

existence#1#4375#10000

Translations for existence

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"existence." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 15 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/existence>.

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