Princeton's WordNet(1.00 / 1 vote)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(0.00 / 0 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.

2. existence(Noun)

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

Origin: 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

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

3. Existence(noun)

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

Origin: [Cf. F. existence.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 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 / 1 vote)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.)

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

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

Sample Sentences & Example Usage

1. Jean-Paul Sartre:

   Existence precedes and rules essence.

2. Somyot Pumpanmuang:

   We cannot deny the existence of bribery and corruption.

3. Ralph Waldo Emerson:

   The education of the will is the object of our existence.

4. Anatole France:

   Existence would be intolerable if we were never to dream.

5. Sydney Smith:

   To love and be loved is the great happiness of existence.

Images & Illustrations of existence

Popularity rank by frequency of use