countable usually singularthe way that someone lives their life, especially when their life is difficultJones led a miserable existence in an isolated village for several years.
a hand-to-mouth existence (=having hardly enough food or money to live on): He lived a hand-to-mouth existence in a poor area of Los Angeles.
eke out an existence (=manage to live under difficult conditions): Families struggle to eke out an existence in this harsh environment.