a modern philosophical movement stressing the importance of personal experience and responsibility and the demands that they make on the individual, who is seen as a free agent in a deterministic and seemingly meaningless universe
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
ex•is•ten•tial•ism /ˌɛgzɪˈstɛnʃəˌlɪzəm, ˌɛksɪ-/USA pronunciation
n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Philosophya philosophy that stresses the individual's position as an agent who determines what to do and who is responsible for his or her own choices.
ex•is•ten•tial•ism
(eg′zi sten′shə liz′əm, ek′si-),USA pronunciation n. [Philos.]
ex′is•ten′tial•ist, adj., n.
ex′is•ten′tial•is′tic, adj.
ex′is•ten′tial•is′ti•cal•ly, adv.
- Philosophya philosophical attitude associated esp. with Heidegger, Jaspers, Marcel, and Sartre, and opposed to rationalism and empiricism, that stresses the individual's unique position as a self-determining agent responsible for the authenticity of his or her choices.
- German Existentialismus (1919); see existential, -ism
- 1940–45
ex′is•ten′tial•is′tic, adj.
ex′is•ten′tial•is′ti•cal•ly, adv.
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'existentialism' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):