- existence
- noun1 state of existingADJECTIVE▪ 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 livingADJECTIVE▪ 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.
