Existence precedes essence definition
Existence precedes essence means that human first exists and then he searches for his/her essence in this world.
Existence precedes essence means that objects, ideas, or items exist before they have value assigned to them. For example, Sartre argues that life has no meaning until we assign a meaning to it. The life exists and then we assign an essence. The fact that you were born a certain gender [a matter of facticity] has no significance until you assign meaning to it [an act of transcendence]. It is bad faith to deny your freedom and responsibility based on which gender that you were born.