ontological
adjective
on·to·log·i·cal ˌän-tə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 
1
: of or relating to ontology
an ontological principle
2
: relating to or based upon being or existence
Virtual environments engage millions of people and billions of dollars each year. What is the ontological status of the virtual objects that populate those environments?
David Leech Anderson
David Leech Anderson ontologically
ˌän-tə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē
adverb 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web In all three cases – suppression, desensitisation and ontological confusion – the political and ethical power of the images is compromised and neutralized. Vogue, 12 Sep. 2022 There are also more fundamental, even ontological, problems with the liberal internationalist approach. Daniel Bessner, Harper’s Magazine , 22 June 2022 Cinema is another side to his ontological vision of fashion. Fabiana Giacomotti, Vogue, 16 Jan. 2022 Knowledge graphs built upon ontological concepts developed as part of the Semantic Web but allowed for a more expressive hierarchical system, with a greater emphasis on scale and relationships. Bryon Jacob, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2021 Plus: The infamous 2016 Macbook Pro, Gödel’s ontological proof, and a mascot’s moment of weakness. Steven Levy, Wired, 22 Oct. 2021 While breathtakingly sophisticated in their content, their tone recalls the best and most beloved children's books: playful but gentle, earnest without being naive, reverberant with ontological wonder. Amy Brady, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2021 Alongside the moral issues, there is an ontological muddle. Jody Rosen, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2021 Perhaps sensing that Waffles is teetering on the edge of an ontological abyss, MagiCart next ferries the friends to see the chef José Andrés, who explains, in a kid-friendly way, that sometimes categories are entirely meaningless. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2021 See More
Vogue, 12 Sep. 2022 There are also more fundamental, even ontological, problems with the liberal internationalist approach. Daniel Bessner, Harper’s Magazine , 22 June 2022 Cinema is another side to his ontological vision of fashion. Fabiana Giacomotti, Vogue, 16 Jan. 2022 Knowledge graphs built upon ontological concepts developed as part of the Semantic Web but allowed for a more expressive hierarchical system, with a greater emphasis on scale and relationships. Bryon Jacob, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2021 Plus: The infamous 2016 Macbook Pro, Gödel’s ontological proof, and a mascot’s moment of weakness. Steven Levy, Wired, 22 Oct. 2021 While breathtakingly sophisticated in their content, their tone recalls the best and most beloved children's books: playful but gentle, earnest without being naive, reverberant with ontological wonder. Amy Brady, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2021 Alongside the moral issues, there is an ontological muddle. Jody Rosen, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2021 Perhaps sensing that Waffles is teetering on the edge of an ontological abyss, MagiCart next ferries the friends to see the chef José Andrés, who explains, in a kid-friendly way, that sometimes categories are entirely meaningless. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
1705, in the meaning defined at sense 1