existent
existent Lexical Profile
existent Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having reality or actual being; currently existing or present.
"The archive seeks to preserve every existent copy of the sixteenth-century manuscript."
• noun
A person or thing that exists; an actual entity or being (chiefly in philosophy).
"In ontology, philosophers examine the fundamental nature of every physical and abstract existent."
Word Nuance & Usage
In everyday prose, 'existing' is usually preferred over 'existent' as an attributive adjective before a noun (e.g., 'existing laws'), whereas 'existent' is more common in philosophical contexts or after the noun (e.g., 'all things now existent').
• Rhymes for existent
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from Latin 'existentem', the present participle of 'existere' ('to step forth, appear, or exist'), formed from 'ex-' ('forth') and 'sistere' ('to take a stand').