existence

Universal Words noun 1 [U] the state or fact of being real or living: I was unaware of his existence until today. * This is the oldest Hebrew manuscript in existence. * Pakistan came into existence as an independent country after the war. * a crisis that threatens the industry's continued existence 2 [C] a way of living especially when this is difficult or boring: The family endured a miserable existence in a cramped and noisy apartment. * We led a poor but happy enough existence as children. * They eke out a precarious existence (= they have hardly enough money to live on). * The peasants depend on a good harvest for their very existence (= in order to continue to live).