The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word EXISTENCE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
E
X
I
S
T
E
N
C
E
More clues leading to the result EXISTENCE
- Being English, Anglicans must accept explanation of a Roman numeral
- Old weapon put in cold storage for life
- Being out of EEC isn't unusual
- Being ordered – exit scene
- Meaning of cross in Rome and in eastern church life
- Sixteen converts taking on church’s way of life
- Sexist men initially spurned church life
- Being around 6 + 10 + 100 dividing 7 evenly?
- Life model entices ex
- Exit scene, upset? That’s life
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "life" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case life = existence.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does EXISTENCE mean?
EXISTENCE noun- The state of being, existing, or occurring; beinghood.
- Empirical reality; the substance of the physical universe. (Dictionary of Philosophy; 1968)