existence
[noun]
Synonyms: being, actuality, life, subsistence

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Antonyms: nonexistence
Related Words: life, presence, reality, perseity, essence, individuality

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

ex‧ist‧ence S3 W2 /ɪɡˈzɪstəns/ noun
[Word Family: noun: existence ≠ non-existence, existent, existentialism, existentialist, coexistence; adjective: existent ≠ nonexistent, existing, pre-existing, existential, existentialist; verb: exist, coexist]

1. [uncountable] the state of existing
existence of
It is impossible to prove the existence of God.
in existence
The organization has been in existence for 25 years.
Scientists have many theories about how the universe first came into existence (=started to exist).
existence of
The very existence of the museum is threatened by lack of funding.
the continued existence of economic inequalities

2. [countable usually singular] the type of life that someone has, especially when it is bad or unhappy:
Pablo led a miserable existence when he first moved to San Juan. ⇒ eke out a living/existence at eke

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

existence
noun
I. state of existing
ADJ. actual, real El Cid's actual existence is not in doubt. Since her illness, other people had become shadowy and had no real existence for her.
brief | continued, future | very The peasants depend on a good harvest for their very existence (= in order to continue to live).
mere The mere existence of these strange creatures fascinated him.
autonomous, independent, separate any organism capable of independent existence
human the mystery of human existence
material, physical | social
VERB + EXISTENCE be in The idea of God in nature has been in existence for as long as human beings have worshipped.
come into, spring into The organization came into existence ten years ago. What are the chances of these molecules springing spontaneously into existence?
be crushed out of, go out of If you jump into a black hole you will get torn apart and crushed out of existence. There was a fear that the club might go out of existence for lack of support.
bring sth into, call sth into striving to bring into existence a new kind of society
be aware of, know of | be unaware of | assert | assume, postulate, presuppose The theory assumes the existence of a ‘meritocracy’?that there is equal opportunity for all.
accept, acknowledge, believe in, recognize He didn't believe in the existence of God.
deny | doubt | imply, indicate, suggest | discover, reveal | confirm, demonstrate, establish, prove | disprove | explain How do you explain the existence of closely related species in widely separated locations?
justify | forget, ignore The girl's parents continued to ignore her very existence.
resent Deep down I resented his existence.
jeopardize, threaten Climate changes threaten the continued existence of the species.
owe The school owed its existence to the generosity of one man.
be vital to A super-efficient sense of smell is no longer vital to our existence.
EXISTENCE + VERB depend on/upon sth The company's existence depends on continued growth.
PREP. in ~ the only instrument of its kind in existence
PHRASES a mode of existence the nature and significance of the temporal mode of existence
the struggle for existence Darwin viewed the struggle for existence as being the major promoter of evolution.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

existence
II. way of living
ADJ. bare, frugal, hand-to-mouth, miserable, precarious He lived a hand-to-mouth existence in the less attractive areas of London.
comfortable, ordered, peaceful, quiet | dull, humdrum, routine | isolated, lonely, solitary | nomadic | rural, suburban, urban | daily, day-to-day, everyday | previous, prior He claimed to be able to remember a previous existence.
VERB + EXISTENCE enjoy, have, lead, live | eke out, endure They eke out a precarious existence foraging in rubbish dumps.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

existence

come into existence (=start to exist)
Pakistan came into existence as an independent country in 1947.
spring into existence (=suddenly start to exist)
After the invasion, a French resistance movement sprang into existence.
bring something into existence formal (=make something start to exist)
The state must follow the terms of the treaty that brought it into existence.
go out of existence (=stop existing)
If a buyer isn't found, this famous old club could go out of existence.
acknowledge/recognize/accept the existence of something (=agree that something exists)
They organization finally acknowledged the existence of a problem.
prove/confirm/establish the existence of something (=prove that something exists)
The images confirm the existence of water on the planet's surface.
deny the existence of something (=say that something does not exists)
He strongly denied the existence of God.
doubt the existence of something (=not believe that something exists)
Some people doubt the existence of life at the very bottom of the ocean.
jeopardize/threaten the existence of something (=make it likely that something will stop existing)
The strike could jeopardize the existence of his company.
owe your existence to something (=be able to exist because of something)
The birds owe their existence to the fact that there are no natural predators on the island.
brief/short
The band had rather a brief existence.
The show's existence was extremely short.
human existence
Darwin's theory of natural selection changed our view of human existence forever.
something's very existence
The university's very existence is at stake.
something's actual existence
Poaching now threatens the animal's actual existence.
something's continued existence
The city's continued existence is threatened by rising water levels.
something's mere existence (=just the fact that something exists)
The mere existence of a contract does not guarantee that you will be paid.
everyday/daily/day-to-day existence (=someone's normal life that is the same most days)
He saw drugs as a way of escaping the tedium of his everyday existence.
a lonely/solitary existence (=without anyone else with you)
Male bears live a mostly solitary existence, away from the female and cubs.
a miserable existence (=very unpleasant)
The refugees had to endure a miserable existence in the desert.
a dull/routine existence
I was overjoyed at the prospect of leaving my routine existence behind.
a frugal existence (=without much money)
He led a hard and frugal existence.
a hand-to-mouth existence (=with just enough food or money to live)
The survivors lived a hand-to-mouth existence until they were rescued.
a precarious existence (=only just managing to live)
The islanders, who rely solely on the sea to provide food, have a precarious existence.
a comfortable existence (=with plenty of food and money)
He left behind his comfortable existence to become a monk.
a peaceful existence
The various tribes on the island enjoyed a relatively peaceful existence.
a quiet existence
He led a quiet existence, broken only by occasional visits from his family.
a rural/urban/suburban existence (=life in the country/city/suburbs)
The girls hated their drab suburban existence.
lead/live a solitary/frugal etc existence
The women lead a miserable existence.
enjoy a peaceful/quiet etc existence
They enjoy a comfortable existence.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲