What does "existentialism" mean?

A twentieth-century philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices.

How do you pronounce "existentialism"?

Pronounced //ˌɛɡzɪˈstɛnʃəlɪzəm//.

Common synonyms include: art, atomism, existential philosophy, existentialist philosophy, metaphysics, ontology.

//ˌɛɡzɪˈstɛnʃəlɪzəm// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A twentieth-century philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices. uncountable
"The heyday of existentialism occurred in the mid-twentieth century."
2
(philosophy) a 20th-century philosophical movement chiefly in Europe; assumes that people are entirely free and thus responsible for what they make of themselves wordnet
3
The philosophical views of a particular thinker associated with the existentialist movement. countable
"Sartre's existentialism is atheistic, but the existentialism of Marcel is distinctly Christian."