eksistensial

Eksistensial is a Norwegian adjective used to describe matters related to human existence and the questions it raises. It is commonly applied to topics, feelings, or experiences defined by being, meaning, freedom, and mortality. The term is closely connected to existential questions, though it is not itself a formal philosophical system.

In philosophy, existentialism is the school that emphasizes individual existence, choice, authenticity, and the search for meaning in a world that can seem indifferent or absurd. The label eksistensialisme designates this philosophy. Notable thinkers associated with existentialism include Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir. The eksistensial perspective highlights how people create meaning through acts of choice and how anxiety or dread can arise from freedom and finitude.

Eksistensial is also common in everyday language and the social sciences to describe existential concerns. Phrases such as eksistensiell angst, eksistensiell krise, and eksistensiell tomhet describe feelings of unease about purpose, identity, and the future. In literature, film, and therapy, eksistensial topics are used to explore what it means to live an authentic life.

Origin and etymology: eksistensial derives from eksistens (existence) with the adjectival suffix -ial. The term has entered Norwegian philosophical and cultural discourse through translations and adoption of continental existentialist ideas.