Definition of "existential" []

• Of, relating to, or dealing with existence. (adjective)
• Based on experience; empirical. (adjective)
• Of or as conceived by existentialism or existentialists: an existential moment of choice. (adjective)
• Linguistics Of or relating to a construction or part of a construction that indicates existence, as the words there is in the sentence There is a cat on the mat. (adjective)
• Linguistics An existential word or construction. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "He did not specifically mention Iran, but the use of the phrase "existential threat" in Israel generally refers to Iran."
• "He also received standing ovations by citing what he called existential threats posed to Israel by Iran's nuclear program and the militant Palestinian group Hamas, which the U.S. designates a terrorist group."
• "I caught up again recently with digital pioneer and media contrarian Jeff Einstein of the Brothers Einstein, and we discussed what he describes as the existential crisis in the commercial media channels today."