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
Liv Morgan As is the case with Ripley, Liv Morgan is essentially already one of WWE’s cornerstones, but she isn’t always mentioned in that conversation.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
But stereophonic sound, thrillingly detailed in its re-creation of spatial depth, took hold at the end of the decade, and essentially the entire standard repertory was rerecorded.
—David Denby, New Yorker, 20 July 2025
Dylan Cease had essentially become a two-pitch pitcher.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2025
During World War II, domestic car production was essentially on hold.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for essentially
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
But stereophonic sound, thrillingly detailed in its re-creation of spatial depth, took hold at the end of the decade, and essentially the entire standard repertory was rerecorded.
—David Denby, New Yorker, 20 July 2025
Dylan Cease had essentially become a two-pitch pitcher.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2025
During World War II, domestic car production was essentially on hold.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for essentially
Cite this Entry
“Essentially.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essentially. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share