inexistent
Definition
- Adjective:
- Not having existence: "inexistent" describes something that does not exist or is not present in reality.
- Lacking being: Refers to a state of being absent or nonexistent.
Usage Examples
- (Unicorns do not exist in science.)
- (The map does not exist.)
- (Evil is not believed to have real being.)
Advanced Usage
"to be inexistent": to have no existence or reality.
- In many ancient cultures, the concept of zero was inexistent. (The idea of zero did not exist.)
"inexistent in": lacking or absent within a particular context or domain.
- Such a species is inexistent in the fossil record. (The species does not appear in fossils.)
Variants and Related Words
Inexistence (n): the state of not existing; non-existence.
- The philosopher argued for the inexistence of absolute truth. (The absence of absolute truth.)
Inexistent (adj): (same as the target word; no other common variant forms are standard.)
Synonyms
- Nonexistent: not existing; not real.
- Absent: not present in a place or situation.
- Imaginary: existing only in the imagination; not real (often implies a contrast with reality, while "inexistent" is more neutral).
Related Idioms
- There are no common idioms using "inexistent" directly. However, the concept is often expressed in the idiom "as real as a unicorn", meaning something is completely inexistent or imaginary.
- His promise of a raise was as real as a unicorn — completely inexistent. (The promise was not real.)