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

New polling shows the race remains essentially tied heading into the November election. — Star-Telegram Staff, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Aug. 2026

Across the animal kingdom, males compete for mates in what are essentially design competitions. — Dina Cheney, Washington Post, 8 Aug. 2026

Luke Combs essentially gave his fans a free show in September 2022. — Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 8 Aug. 2026

Along with Tiger King, Goode also directed the 2024 HBO documentary series Chimp Crazy about people obsessed with raising chimpanzees as essentially human children. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for essentially

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