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
Hayes asked the agriculture secretary for the reasoning behind asking states to essentially choose between two disaster programs.
—Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2025
With the lat strain occurring so early during spring training, his rehab starts are essentially the equivalent of spring training games.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 14 June 2025
For instance, animating a snake, essentially a big rope, and everyone knows about the difficulty in animating ropes, is a big challenge.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 14 June 2025
With South Africa playing less Test cricket due to financial strain that grips all nations bar the wealthy trio of powerhouses, including Australia, Markram was victim of South Africa only essentially playing short Test series.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for essentially
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Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2025
With the lat strain occurring so early during spring training, his rehab starts are essentially the equivalent of spring training games.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 14 June 2025
For instance, animating a snake, essentially a big rope, and everyone knows about the difficulty in animating ropes, is a big challenge.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 14 June 2025
With South Africa playing less Test cricket due to financial strain that grips all nations bar the wealthy trio of powerhouses, including Australia, Markram was victim of South Africa only essentially playing short Test series.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 14 June 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 19 Jun. 2025.
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