existence

existence
noun
1 state of existing
ADJECTIVE
actual, real

El Cid's actual existence is not in doubt.

Since her illness, other people had no real existence for her.

possible

the possible existence of life beyond Earth

brief
continued, continuing, future
10-year, 50-year, etc.

over the course of his company's 20-year existence

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.

entire, whole

Throughout its entire existence, it has been a deeply contested concept.

autonomous, independent, separate

any organism capable of independent existence

human

the mystery of human existence

material, physical
social
earthly, mortal

Christianity taught that our earthly existence was merely a preparation for life after death.

VERB + EXISTENCE
be in

The idea has been in existence for centuries.

have

a virtual world that has no real existence

come into, pop into (AmE, informal), spring into

The organization came into existence ten years ago.

What are the chances of these molecules springing spontaneously into existence?

fade from, fade out of, go out of

There was a fear that the club might go out of existence for lack of support.

bring sth into, call sth into

They are striving to bring into existence a new kind of society.

be aware of, know of
be unaware of
affirm, assert
assume, posit, postulate, presuppose

The theory assumes the existence of a ‘meritocracy’—that there is equal opportunity for all.

accept, acknowledge, admit, admit to, believe in, recognize

He didn't believe in the existence of God.

deny
doubt
question

She questioned the existence of God.

imply, indicate, suggest, support

There is research that strongly supports the existence of repressed memories.

discover, reveal
confirm, demonstrate, establish, prove, validate, verify

Scientists were able to verify the existence of this particle.

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.

endanger, jeopardize, threaten

Climate changes threaten the continued existence of the species.

end

He wanted to end his existence once and for all.

owe

The school owed its existence to the generosity of one man.

ensure, guarantee
maintain

Let's battle on to maintain our existence.

be vital to

A super-efficient sense of smell is no longer vital to our existence.

EXISTENCE + VERB
depend on sth, depend upon sth

The company's existence depends on continued growth.

PREPOSITION
in existence

the only instrument of its kind in existence

PHRASES
the struggle for existence

Darwin viewed the struggle for existence as being the major promoter of evolution.

2 way of living
ADJECTIVE
bare, hand-to-mouth, meagre/meager, miserable, precarious

He lived a hand-to-mouth existence in the less attractive areas of London.

comfortable, peaceful, quiet
sheltered

She had lived such a sheltered existence.

middle-class

a comfortable middle-class existence

meaningful

his yearning for a more meaningful existence

boring, dull, humdrum, mundane
pathetic, pitiful, wretched
meaningless
empty, 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 the forest.

PHRASES
a mode of existence

the transition from one mode of existence to another


Collocations dictionary. 2013.

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  • existence — [ ɛgzistɑ̃s ] n. f. • XIVe; bas lat. existentia I ♦ 1 ♦ Philos. Le fait d être ou d exister, abstraction faite de ce qui est. ⇒ 2. être. Le Cogito de Descartes assure l homme de son existence. « Le sentiment de l existence dépouillé de toute… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • existence — existence, being, actuality are closely related in meaning but not always interchangeable. Existence is the inclusive term which designates the state or condition of anything regarded as occurring in space or time, as distinct and apart from all… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Existence — Ex*ist ence, n. [Cf. F. existence.] 1. The state of existing or being; actual possession of being; continuance in being; as, the existence of body and of soul in union; the separate existence of the soul; immortal existence. [1913 Webster] The… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • existence — Existence. s. f. v. Estat de ce qui existe. L existence de Dieu. l existence des choses creées. tout ce qui est au monde tient son existence de Dieu. cela n est plus en existence …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • existence — index entity, life (period of existence), materiality (physical existence), reality, survival Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton …   Law dictionary

  • existence — late 14c., reality, from O.Fr. existence, from M.L. existentia/exsistentia, from existentem/exsistentem (nom. existens/exsistens) existent, prp. of L. existere/exsistere stand forth, appear, and, as a secondary meaning, exist, be; from ex …   Etymology dictionary

  • existence — [eg zis′təns, igzis′təns] n. [ME < OFr < ML existentia < prp. of L existere] 1. the act of existing; state or fact of being 2. continuance of being; life; living 3. occurrence; specific manifestation 4. a manner of existing, being, or… …   English World dictionary

  • existence — [n] life actuality, animation, being, breath, continuance, continuation, duration, endurance, entity, essence, hand one is dealt*, individuality, journey, lifing, permanence, perseverance, presence, rat race*, reality, real world*, something,… …   New thesaurus

  • existence — ► NOUN 1) the fact or state of existing. 2) a way of living. ORIGIN Latin existentia, from exsistere come into being …   English terms dictionary

  • Existence — For other uses, see Existence (disambiguation). Philosophy …   Wikipedia

  • Existence — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Existence (homonymie). L existence désigne le fait d être, d être de manière réelle. Sommaire 1 L existence en philosophie 1.1 L existence en métaphysique …   Wikipédia en Français

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