essentially
adverb
es·sen·tial·ly
i-ˈsen(t)-shə-lē 
-ˈsench-lē
: in essence : fundamentally
—used to identify or stress the basic or essential character or nature of a person or thing or to say that a description is basically true or accurate
He's essentially a good man.
… painting, essentially a two-dimensional art …—
Herbert Read
Herbert ReadThe fact that so many bloggers are essentially anonymous allows them to spew rancor, rumor, lies, and obscenities.—Gil Troy
Gil TroyAphids feed on the sugary phloem of plants. Essentially they steal the product of photosynthesis.—Caleb Rounds
Caleb RoundsExamples of essentially in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These stem cells were active long after the initial infection, even after levels of fungal antibodies and neutrophils had died down—essentially priming the body to respond dramatically to a future fungal threat.
—Maggie Chen, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
But a Senate resolution would do away with Arizona’s judicial retention elections, allowing superior, appellate and Supreme Court judges to essentially have lifelong terms.
—The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024
Firstly, rising star Jenna Ortega exited the franchise in short order, and then Melissa Barrera — whose character, Sam Carpenter, was essentially the lead of Radio Silence’s two films — was abruptly fired due to her social media posts on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
The arbitration proceedings — essentially, Bauer’s appeal hearing — lasted for months.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Thug has essentially lived behind bars since his arrest, barring infrequent excursions such as a trip to his sister’s funeral last year.
—Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
The field has essentially surmounted the problem of matching donors, a major barrier to transplants, Ephraim Fuchs, an oncologist at Johns Hopkins University, told me.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
The scavengers, for example, the turkey vultures or the coyotes that use roadkill as this resource, essentially.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
That video essentially served as a commercial for his new champagne line.
—Abe Beame, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2024
Maggie Chen, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
But a Senate resolution would do away with Arizona’s judicial retention elections, allowing superior, appellate and Supreme Court judges to essentially have lifelong terms.
—The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024
Firstly, rising star Jenna Ortega exited the franchise in short order, and then Melissa Barrera — whose character, Sam Carpenter, was essentially the lead of Radio Silence’s two films — was abruptly fired due to her social media posts on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
The arbitration proceedings — essentially, Bauer’s appeal hearing — lasted for months.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Thug has essentially lived behind bars since his arrest, barring infrequent excursions such as a trip to his sister’s funeral last year.
—Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
The field has essentially surmounted the problem of matching donors, a major barrier to transplants, Ephraim Fuchs, an oncologist at Johns Hopkins University, told me.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
The scavengers, for example, the turkey vultures or the coyotes that use roadkill as this resource, essentially.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
That video essentially served as a commercial for his new champagne line.
—Abe Beame, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'essentially.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near essentially
Cite this Entry
“Essentially.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essentially. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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