eksistentsiaalsed

Eksistentsiaalsed is an Estonian adjective meaning existential, describing things related to existence or the human condition as explored by existential philosophy. The term is used to refer to questions, themes, and phenomena that concern human freedom, responsibility, authenticity, mortality, and meaning.

In philosophy, eksistentsiaalsed themes are central to existentialism, a 20th-century movement associated with thinkers such as Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, and Jean-Paul Sartre. In Estonian scholarship, the word appears in discussions across philosophy, psychology, literature, and cultural criticism to signal attention to the individual's lived experience and the tension between freedom and contingency.

Common collocations include eksistentsiaalsed küsimused (existential questions), eksistentsiaalsed olukorrad, eksistentsiaalsed kriisid, and eksistentsiaalsed valikud, with morphological forms varying by grammar. The term is widely used in academic writing but also appears in media and public discourse when addressing broad concerns about the human condition.

Etymology wise, eksistentsiaalsed derives from the root eksistents-, combined with the Estonian adjectival suffix -aalne, linking the word to existence and philosophical inquiry. In practice, the word helps distinguish discussions that focus on meaning, choice, anxiety, and authenticity from more empirical or practical topics.