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
Josh Metellus was burned by Brown on the Eagles’ first touchdown, and Rodgers was beat by Brown on a 45-yard, fourth-down pass deep into Vikings’ territory that essentially ended the game with 1 minute, 35 second remaining.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
At Johnny’s, as at many of the family’s restaurants, the kitchen uses an essentially unchanged version of her grandfather’s marinade.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
Set across 12 connected riads (traditional Moroccan homes with a central courtyard), the hotel is essentially one large, living work of art, where patterns, styles, and decades flow between spaces seamlessly.
—Elizabeth Cantrell, Travel + Leisure, 19 Oct. 2025
Arizona's most recent educational assessment scores show students overall essentially maintained their proficiency levels in math, reading and writing, but students with cognitive disabilities taking alternative standardized tests showed drops relative to their peers.
—Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 18 Oct. 2025
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John Shipley, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
At Johnny’s, as at many of the family’s restaurants, the kitchen uses an essentially unchanged version of her grandfather’s marinade.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
Set across 12 connected riads (traditional Moroccan homes with a central courtyard), the hotel is essentially one large, living work of art, where patterns, styles, and decades flow between spaces seamlessly.
—Elizabeth Cantrell, Travel + Leisure, 19 Oct. 2025
Arizona's most recent educational assessment scores show students overall essentially maintained their proficiency levels in math, reading and writing, but students with cognitive disabilities taking alternative standardized tests showed drops relative to their peers.
—Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 18 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 23 Oct. 2025.
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