noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌɛɡzɪˈstɛnʃəlɪz(ə)m/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌɛɡzɪˈstɛnʃlɪz(ə)m/
General-American:/ˌɛɡzəˈstɛn(t)ʃəˌlɪzəm/
General-American:/ˌɛk-/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɛnʃəlɪzəm
1
noun
Meaning 1
A 20th-century philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; also (generally), a philosophy which emphasizes existence over essence.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences
Examples
The heyday of existentialism occurred in the mid-twentieth century.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: noumenalism
2
noun
Meaning 2
The philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences
Examples
Sartre’s existentialism is atheistic, but the existentialism of Marcel is distinctly Christian.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Synonym of structuralism (“a school of thought that focuses on exploring the individual elements of consciousness, how they are organized into more complex experiences, and how these mental phenomena correlate with physical events”).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: structuralism
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
(philosophy) a 20th-century philosophical movement chiefly in Europe; assumes that people are entirely free and thus responsible for what they make of themselves
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Broader terms: philosophical doctrine, philosophical theory
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1éǵh Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h1éǵhs Proto-Italic *eks Latin ex Latin ex- Proto-Indo-European *steh2- Proto-Indo-European *stísteh2ti Proto-Italic *sistō Latin sistō Latin exsistō Latin exsistēns Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin exsistentia Proto-Indo-European *h2el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Late Latin exsistentiālislbor. English existential Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English existentialism From existential + -ism (suffix forming the names of schools of thought, systems, or theories), modelled after German Existentialismus. The word was popularized by the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) in his work L’existentialisme est un humanisme (Existentialism is a Humanism, 1946).
Across languages
Translations
50 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
وُجُودِيَّة
(wujūdiyya)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Armenian:
էքզիստենցիալիզմ
(ēkʻzistencʻializm)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Bengali:
অস্তিত্ববাদ
(ostittobad)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Bulgarian:
екзистенциализъм
(ekzistencializǎm)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Burmese:
ဖြစ်တည်မှုပဓာနဝါဒ
(hpractanyhmu.pa.dhana.wada.)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Catalan:
existencialisme
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Chinese Mandarin:
存在主義 /存在主义
(cúnzàizhǔyì)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Czech:
existencialismus
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Danish:
eksistentialisme
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Dutch:
existentialisme
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Esperanto:
ekzistadismo
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Finnish:
eksistentialismi
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
French:
existentialisme
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Galician:
existencialismo
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Georgian:
ეგზისტენციალიზმი
(egzisṭencializmi)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
German:
Existentialismus
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Greek:
υπαρξισμός
(yparxismós)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Icelandic:
tilvistarstefna
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Irish:
eiseachas
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Italian:
esistenzialismo
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Japanese:
実存主義
(jitsuzonshugi)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Kazakh:
экзистенциализм
(ékzistensializm)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Korean:
실존주의
(siljonjuui)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Latvian:
eksistenciālisms
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Lithuanian:
egzistencializmas
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Macedonian:
егзистенцијали́зам
(egzistencijalízam)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Malay:
eksistensialisme
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Malay:
faham kewujudan
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Malayalam:
അസ്തിത്വവാദം
(astitvavādaṁ)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Maltese:
eżistenzjaliżmu
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Persian:
اگزیستانسیالیسم
(egzistânsiâlism)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Persian:
هستیگرایی
(hasti-gerâyi)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Polish:
egzystencjalizm
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Portuguese:
existencialismo
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Punjabi:
ਅਸਤਿਤਵਵਾਦ
(asatitvavād)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Romanian:
existențialism
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Russian:
экзистенциали́зм
(ekzistencialízm)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Serbo-Croatian:
егзистенцијалѝзам
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Serbo-Croatian:
egzistencijalìzam
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Slovak:
existencializmus
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Spanish:
existencialismo
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Swedish:
existentialism
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Swedish:
existentialfilosofi
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Thai:
อัตถิภาวนิยม
(àt-tì-paa-wá-ní-yom)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Turkish:
egzistansiyalizm
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Turkish:
varoluşçuluk
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Ukrainian:
екзистенціалізм
(ekzystencializm)
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Vietnamese:
chủ nghĩa hiện sinh
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Vietnamese:
thuyết hiện sinh
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
Welsh:
dirfodaeth
— philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices; philosophy which distinguishes and emphasizes existence from essence; philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement
