1
as in nature
the quality or qualities that make a thing what it is
the belief that power ultimately rests with the people is the very essence of democracy
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2
as in core
the central part or aspect of something under consideration
presented the essence of weeks of testimony in a 20-minute appeal to the jury
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of essence
The rate of Dickens’ prodigious output—two canonical novels across twelve months—conveys the essence of his craft.
—
Ed Simon
july 21, Literary Hub, 21 July 2025
Also, his snarky remarks to Cher are the essence of the archer, who doesn’t hold back from expressing their feelings, good or bad.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 19 July 2025
Empower responded, in essence, that retirement savers deserve a crack at the lucrative private investment market, after decades of exclusion.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 18 July 2025
Given that it is supposed to be a raw, honest re-telling of a couple finding light amid disaster, The Observer report called the very essence of the book into question.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for essence
Ed Simon
july 21, Literary Hub, 21 July 2025
Also, his snarky remarks to Cher are the essence of the archer, who doesn’t hold back from expressing their feelings, good or bad.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 19 July 2025
Empower responded, in essence, that retirement savers deserve a crack at the lucrative private investment market, after decades of exclusion.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 18 July 2025
Given that it is supposed to be a raw, honest re-telling of a couple finding light amid disaster, The Observer report called the very essence of the book into question.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for essence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for essence
Noun
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Across the United States, in California, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico and Texas, tens of thousands of tarantulas will being crawling out of their burrows in search of females – making for a fascinating, if a little creepy – display of the wonders of nature.—
Elizabeth Weise,
USA Today,
28 July 2025
-
Takeaway QuantumScape’s nature is binary: either revolutionary success or complete failure.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
Noun
-
The shocker is a plot of earth’s temperature, obtained from ice cores and lake sediments, tracks minima and maxima of the sunspot plot at six different times between 1600 and 2000.—
Ian Dexter Palmer,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
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If Coleman, Johnson and Manning form the core, Olugbode and Loyd are emerging as the most likely candidates to round out the rotation — and possibly push for larger roles as the season unfolds.—
Zach Sweet,
Kansas City Star,
3 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The compound 7-OH is a naturally occurring substance in the kratom plant (Mitragyna speciosa), according to the FDA, but only a minor component comprising less than 2% of the alkaloid content in natural kratom leaves.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
31 July 2025
-
Allergies are an immune system's response to a substance.—
News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 July 2025
Noun
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While Luna spent much of the summer playing on the left wing, his heart is with the playmaking 10 role.—
Jeff Rueter,
New York Times,
28 July 2025
-
There will always be a special place in our hearts for Starkey, but this was impressive.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
28 July 2025
Noun
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The musical slipstream that creates between bluegrass, blues, country, folk, hip-hop, jazz, R&B, rock and soul has roots more firmly entrenched — and more lucrative — in Music City than ever.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
26 July 2025
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Allow this to awaken your soul ahead of season 4 of Ted Lasso: Jason Sudeikis and costars Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, and Brendan Hunt crashed a Mumford & Sons concert to perform the show's theme song on stage.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
Noun
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The instrument’s roots go at least as far back as the fifteenth century, but it was nearly lost to history, salvaged solely by a grassroots revival in the nineteen-eighties.—
Elena Saavedra Buckley,
New Yorker,
1 Aug. 2025
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But such tools address symptoms rather than root causes, said Andrew Rumbach, a senior researcher at the Urban Institute who studies disaster risk and resilience.—
Bayliss Wagner,
Austin American Statesman,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The collecting of hair is, in short, a deeply unrelatable manifestation of deeply relatable emotions: love, grief, nostalgia, yearning.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
21 July 2025
-
While in police custody, Madelyn Cline's Danica Richards has a vision of Helen, who was memorably killed by the Fisherman in the 1997 movie, as a manifestation of her guilt.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
20 July 2025
Noun
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Are these really the first kernels of the Justice League for you in the DCU?—
EW.com,
EW.com,
18 July 2025
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In its natural state, a whole kernel of wheat has three layers underneath the outer husk.—
Bryant Stamford,
The Courier-Journal,
17 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Essence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/essence. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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