existence

noun

ex·​is·​tence ig-ˈzi-stən(t)s 

1

a

: the state or fact of having being especially independently of human consciousness and as contrasted with nonexistence

the existence of other worlds

b

: the manner of being that is common to every mode of being

c

: being with respect to a limiting condition or under a particular aspect

2

: actual or present occurrence

existence of a state of war

3

a(1)

: the totality of existent things

(2)

: a particular being

… all the fair existences of heaven …

—John Keats

b

: sentient or living being : life

c

: reality as presented in experience

d

obsolete : reality as opposed to appearance

Synonyms of existence

• reality
• presence
• prevalence
• subsistence

Examples of existence in a Sentence

She began to doubt the existence of God.

the existence of UFO's is something that people continue to argue about

Recent Examples on the Web

Then again, the novel, a worldly form and rather proud of it, has good reason not to question the basic terms of our existence. —James Wood, New Yorker, 4 May 2026

Burkett was acquired during the season, and his win in Game 1 of the 1996 ALDS against the New York Yankees was the only victory by a Senators/Rangers pitcher in the franchise’s first 49 years of its existence. —Mac Engel may 3, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 May 2026

Vance professes to be ‘obsessed’ with UFO files Trump appears skeptical about the existence of extraterrestrial life. —Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026

There is one theory that people may outlive their physical bodies but there may be a way to upload their consciousness into a digital realm where human existence could go on indefinitely. —John Ramos, CBS News, 3 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Middle French existence, existance, borrowed from Late Latin existentia, exsistentia, noun derivative of existent-, existens/exsistent-, exsistens "having being, existent"

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3d

Phrases Containing existence

• come into existence
• go out of existence
• struggle for existence

Rhymes for existence

• assistance
• consistence
• desistance
• insistence
• persistence
• resistance
• subsistence
• coexistence
• nonexistence
• distance
• magnetoresistance

Kids Definition

existence

noun

ex·​ist·​ence

ig-ˈzis-tən(t)s

1

: the fact or the state of having being or of being real

the largest animal in existence

2

: the state of being alive : life

owed my existence to a doctor's skill