basically

adverb

ˈbā-si-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce basically (audio)
Definition of basicallynext
as in mostly
for the most part your answer is basically correct

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of basically To that point, Apple brought a lawsuit against OpenAI just last Friday night — just last week — and basically accused OpenAI of trying to steal trade secrets. — Alex Crippen, CNBC, 18 July 2026 Nobody tells you that being an artist is basically a logistics company, a shipping company, and a law office that occasionally gets to make art. — Zoya Hasan, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 In the absence of phony injuries, World Cup athletic trainers have had little cause to deploy the dermal refrigerant, which basically functions as an aerosolized placebo. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 July 2026 The 20th District, which was changed this year, is basically a square in the central part of Broward, all north of Interstate 595. — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for basically
Recent Examples of Synonyms for basically
  1. mostly
  2. mainly
  3. primarily
  4. largely
  5. chiefly
  6. predominantly
  7. generally
  8. principally
Adverb
  • Hughes’ fall on this list mostly stems from major growth from others above him and the lack of term left on his deal.
    — Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • That case focused mostly on the details of the knife attack itself; the federal one delves more into questions of motive.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
Definition of mostly
Adverb
  • Before that, much like Argentina, La Roja had relied on some late goals to get through the latter stages – mainly from Mikel Merino, who struck the winner in both the Round of 16 and quarterfinal after coming on as a late substitute.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
  • While the area was formerly covered by prehistoric lakes, today the water here mainly exists as seasonal wetlands, gurgling geysers, hot springs, and a hypersaline lake that’s saltier than the ocean.
    — Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 18 July 2026
Definition of mainly
Adverb
  • Called the Georgia Power 100, these players are chosen primarily on their high school production track record, though college potential is considered.
    — Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 20 July 2026
  • Rittenhouse’s research primarily deals with studying endangered and threatened bat species and impacts of land planning and management uses.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026
Definition of primarily
Adverb
  • Their models still largely hold the lead in capabilities, as well as the hardware used to train and advance them.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
  • Hilderbrand — who’s written more than 30 books, largely set in her hometown of Nantucket — says studios started calling after HBO’s adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies became a hit in 2017.
    — Clarissa Cruz, Entertainment Weekly, 16 July 2026
Definition of largely
Adverb
  • The problem is Will Ferrell as Lonnie Hawkins, an utter miscalculation of characterization and performance chiefly responsible for turning what could be middling comedy into an unbearable slog.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 16 July 2026
  • Bouaddi was born into an aspirational family in Creil — a town of around 36,000 people in northern France, around an hour’s drive from Paris, and known chiefly as being where gangster and jailbreaker Redoine Faid is from.
    — Tom Williams, New York Times, 9 July 2026
Definition of chiefly
Adverb
  • Once known predominantly for projecting educational installations at museums and aquariums, IMAX spent decades trying to break into the mainstream, though its limited network of theatres and analog-only format proved prohibitive for major studios.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 22 July 2026
  • So have members of the predominantly Black church where her body was discovered May 8.
    — Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 22 July 2026
Definition of predominantly
Adverb
  • Tournament football isn’t generally conducive to pressing, with so many matches squeezed into such a short window, and without the cohesion that comes from club sides training together for months.
    — Michael Cox, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • Checks are generally distributed on Wednesdays, based on the day of the month you were born.
    — Brian Sloan, CNBC, 21 July 2026
Definition of generally
Adverb
  • Although some of these new institutions may adopt the name college, they won't be architected around classrooms and their business model won't be principally tuition-based.
    — Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • The war within the Republican Party was not principally an ideological war, though.
    — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
Definition of principally

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Cite this Entry

“Basically.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/basically. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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