The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - existence n.

1) being, presence, actuality, fact: Most cultures believe in the existence of one god or more. 2) life, living; continuance, continuation, persistence, permanence, duration, endurance: The early settlers had to struggle for existence. 3) entity, being, creature; ens, quiddity, essence: In Hindu philosophy, there is no limit to the number of existences.