1. In a manner relating to being or existence; with respect to what exists or is real.
Usage: formal; philosophy

Examples

• The distinction between ontically dependent and independent entities is central to metaphysics.
• Some philosophers argue that abstract objects are ontically inferior to concrete particulars.
• The theory claims that numbers are ontically reducible to sets.
• Events are ontically grounded in the properties and relations of physical objects.
• The debate concerns whether fictional characters have any ontic status—that is, whether they exist ontically.