Existential

This has been bothering me practically forever.

What does "existential" mean? I see the word all the time, particularly in scholarly articles and college texts. Usually I can derive meaning from context, but not here. Sometimes I even question whether writers know what they mean by it. It usually seems to function as a decidedly pretentious pseudo-intellectual literary panacea (oh the irony--yes the irony is intentional).

I don't understand the definition on dictionary.com and apparently it has no synonyms.

existential - Synonyms from Thesaurus.com

So, enlighten me please.

Well according to Dictionary.com it has something to do with "pertaining to life/existence."

When I typed it into Google, I got some kind of religious movement called "Existentialism" where "individuals create the meaning and essence of their lives, as opposed to deities or authorities creating it for them."

There is also some kind of mental condition that can be treated though "Existential therapy." The patient would usually be plagued with symptoms of worthlessness, aloneness, and some other -ness's along with mortality. Basically the person sees no real meaning/reason of their own pathetic life and suffers from a depression.

Take your pick. I don't see myself ever using this word though, unless I get some kind of psychoanalysis therapy prompt in an AP exam.

"Existential" relates to existentialism, see Wiki & Google Define.

I don't blame you for being confused with the definition of the word. No matter who you are I think it is fairly hard to wrap your head around it. Existentialism is basically a philosophical theory or approach that emphasises the existence of the individual person as a free agent determining their actions though volitional acts. Generally it is atheistic, originating with Nietzsche, but there is a Christian strand that comes from Kierkegaard. Typically it disparages scientific knowledge, denies objectivity, and stresses human experience.