as having existed

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "as having existed" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing the state or condition of something that is recognized or acknowledged to have existed in the past. Example: "The ancient ruins are often regarded as having existed long before recorded history."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

All parents want is that the child is acknowledged as having existed.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

For Boyle is conscious of himself as building on past views, and such views typically treated matter as giving rise to the present world, and, in the case of some past thinkers, at least, as having existed in a constant state for some time before the initiating changes that led to the present world occurred.

SEP

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

"Don't play here!" Such critics as had existed were disarmed.

The Guardian

In the last days of the pre-Hitler regime there were twenty times as many Jewish government officials in Germany as had existed before the war.

The Guardian

He said the west no longer had a clear strategic framework with Russia, as had existed in the cold war, to ensure stability, singling out a lack of rules between Russia, China and the west about the legitimate use of cyberwarfare.

The Guardian

Worse, as he sees it, such research ethics frameworks as have existed were never cobbled together with social scientists in mind, having been dominated since the 1960s by biomedical interests.

The Guardian

It is much the same routine as has existed for faculty in the better-endowed universities for much of the century.

The New York Times - Books

In a fairly constant market such as has existed for the last two years in Manhattan, both landlords and tenants grow more sophisticated.

The New York Times

Duns Scotus, for example, argued that a dead person's body was the same body as had existed when that person was alive.

SEP

As opposed to never having existed".

The New Yorker

Team orders have been part of F1 for as long as it has existed as a sport, and they come in many forms.

BBC

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "as having existed" to explicitly acknowledge a past state or condition, particularly when contrasting it with the present.

Common error

Avoid using "as having existed" when the simple past tense is more concise and clear. Overusing the phrase can make your writing sound unnecessarily complex.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "as having existed" functions as a conjunctive phrase connecting a subject to a state of prior existence. It often serves to contextualize a present condition by referring to a past state, as illustrated in the Ludwig examples.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "as having existed" is a grammatically correct but relatively infrequent phrase. Ludwig AI classifies it as correct and it tends to appear in more formal contexts, particularly within news media and scientific discussions. It is used to explicitly reference a past state, often to draw a comparison with the present. While grammatically sound, simpler past tense constructions may often provide greater clarity and conciseness. Therefore, consider your audience and context when choosing to use "as having existed". More common alternatives include "as though it had existed" or "as something that existed", depending on the desired nuance.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

as something that existed

Simplifies the structure, focusing on the fact of past existence.

as though it had existed

Replaces the direct assertion with a hypothetical scenario, implying a condition.

as if it formerly existed

Uses "formerly" to explicitly emphasize the past nature of the existence.

as being present in the past

Breaks down the phrase to highlight both the presence and its location in the past.

as though it once were

Employs a more literary and concise way to indicate a past state of being.

as a thing that was once real

Emphasizes the past reality of something, potentially implying it is no longer real.

akin to having been

Uses "akin" to draw a comparison to a state of having been, implying similarity.

on par with existing before

Expresses a state that is comparable to a previous existence, formal.

similar to a prior state of being

Replaces "existed" with "a prior state of being" for greater emphasis.

analogous to a situation that happened

Emphasizes the past situation in comparison to the present time

FAQs

How can I use "as having existed" in a sentence?

You can use "as having existed" to describe something acknowledged to have existed in the past, often in contrast to its current state. For example: "The ruins are often regarded "as having existed" long before written records."

What phrases are similar to "as having existed"?

Similar phrases include "as though it had existed", "as something that existed", or "akin to having been", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is "as having existed" formal or informal?

The phrase "as having existed" leans towards the formal side. Simpler alternatives might be more suitable for informal contexts.

When should I use "as having existed" instead of simpler past tense?

Use "as having existed" when you want to explicitly emphasize the past existence and draw a contrast with the present. In many cases, a simpler past tense construction may be more appropriate and concise.