Relating to existence, especially human existence and the search for meaning in life. It often refers to fundamental questions about purpose, freedom, death, and the human condition.
From Latin 'existentia' meaning 'existence,' from 'existere' meaning 'to stand out' or 'emerge.' The philosophical usage developed in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly through the work of Kierkegaard, Sartre, and other existentialist philosophers.
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