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
On Sunday, Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi warned there was essentially no job growth in September, citing data from Revelio Labs and ADP.
—Danny Bakst, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2025
Roanoke earned praise for its revitalization of the franchise, taking a fresh approach that essentially divides the season into two halves.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Oct. 2025
Hitching a trailer to any vehicle dramatically worsens aerodynamics, essentially turning it into a giant parachute.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2025
As one film finance source always told me, big budget movies at Apple are essentially advertising costs for their tech products and universe.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for essentially
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Danny Bakst, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2025
Roanoke earned praise for its revitalization of the franchise, taking a fresh approach that essentially divides the season into two halves.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Oct. 2025
Hitching a trailer to any vehicle dramatically worsens aerodynamics, essentially turning it into a giant parachute.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2025
As one film finance source always told me, big budget movies at Apple are essentially advertising costs for their tech products and universe.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Oct. 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 11 Oct. 2025.
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