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

The fact that so many bloggers are essentially anonymous allows them to spew rancor, rumor, lies, and obscenities.

—Gil Troy

Aphids feed on the sugary phloem of plants. Essentially they steal the product of photosynthesis.

—Caleb Rounds

Examples of essentially in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Her office told me the bill essentially unlocks federal funds to help more neighborhoods gain protection from noise pollution. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 26 July 2026

The first two houses, Sanderson said, are essentially being built as proof of concept. — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 26 July 2026

The problem, however, is that AI makes everything flatter, essentially erasing your personality. — Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 25 July 2026

That’s essentially closed off the narrow waterway again, cutting off oil supplies to global markets and sending crude prices higher. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 25 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for essentially

• potentially
• circumferentially
• experientially
• confidentially
• exponentially
• inferentially