existing

[ ig-zis-ting ]

adjective

1. already or previously in place, before being replaced, altered, or added to:

   Fundraising costs money, and recruiting new donors is more expensive than asking existing supporters to give a little more.

2. having actual being or life:

   The great ornithologist Alexander Wetmore, who died in 1978, allegedly declared that all existing species of birds had already been discovered.

3. occurring in a specified place or under specified conditions:

   Members of committees dealing with the behavior of intelligence services met to discuss the existing challenges and exchange best practices.

4. achieving only the basic needs of existence, as food and shelter:

   Forrest Bess was a marginally existing bait fisherman and artist who lived in a ramshackle cabin on the Gulf of Mexico.

Other Words From

• non·ex·ist·ing adjective
• un·ex·ist·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of existing¹

exist ( def ) + -ing ²( def )

Example Sentences

However, the quantum properties of the fuel would be adjusted for peak efficiency using an existing process known as spin polarization.

From Science Daily

"This approach to learning contributes to what we call 'cumulative culture' -- the ability to build on existing knowledge and pass it down through generations," Hewlett said.

From Science Daily

Since at least the early 20th century, the rhetoric behind the afforestation push in Israel/Palestine has implied that no existing human settlements or agriculture his been displaced or disrupted.

From Salon

The government argues existing inheritance tax isn’t fair or sustainable – as everyone else sufficiently well off to pay it is charged 40% and farmers are charged nothing.

From BBC

What is special about Platynereis dumerilii is that, unlike other species, regeneration in marine worms does not rely on existing stem cells.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• actual
• current
• extant