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
That video essentially served as a commercial for his new champagne line.
—Abe Beame, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2024
Sunday’s two-point game was essentially decided in the first two quarters, as the Pacers opened the first quarter on a 16-7 run before breaking the game open to pull ahead by as many as 22 points in the first half.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024
The federal government is currently considering changing marijuana’s place in the Controlled Substances Act list, which would essentially say that marijuana is not as bad as other drugs such as heroin and ecstasy and can be legally prescribed and dispensed at licensed pharmacies.
—Sara Chernikoff, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
But Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson chose to fight it using a truth defense – essentially tasking their lawyers to prove on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann did rape Higgins.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors essentially brought Fotis Dulos back to life by focusing on the day Jennifer Dulos went missing.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2024
Typically obtained from an insurance company for a fee, the bond is essentially a promise that the company will guarantee payment of the judgment if the appeal fails.
—Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 5 Apr. 2024
Women are essentially bald at their hair parts, says Zaineb H. Makhzoumi, MD, MPH, a director of clinical services and head of dermatologic surgery and oncology at University of Maryland Medical Center.
—Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 4 Apr. 2024
Located on the very top deck where the funnel or smokestack would traditionally be, the Funnel Suite is essentially the ship’s penthouse, spanning four floors and 9,975 square feet.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Mar. 2024
Abe Beame, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2024
Sunday’s two-point game was essentially decided in the first two quarters, as the Pacers opened the first quarter on a 16-7 run before breaking the game open to pull ahead by as many as 22 points in the first half.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024
The federal government is currently considering changing marijuana’s place in the Controlled Substances Act list, which would essentially say that marijuana is not as bad as other drugs such as heroin and ecstasy and can be legally prescribed and dispensed at licensed pharmacies.
—Sara Chernikoff, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
But Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson chose to fight it using a truth defense – essentially tasking their lawyers to prove on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann did rape Higgins.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors essentially brought Fotis Dulos back to life by focusing on the day Jennifer Dulos went missing.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2024
Typically obtained from an insurance company for a fee, the bond is essentially a promise that the company will guarantee payment of the judgment if the appeal fails.
—Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 5 Apr. 2024
Women are essentially bald at their hair parts, says Zaineb H. Makhzoumi, MD, MPH, a director of clinical services and head of dermatologic surgery and oncology at University of Maryland Medical Center.
—Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 4 Apr. 2024
Located on the very top deck where the funnel or smokestack would traditionally be, the Funnel Suite is essentially the ship’s penthouse, spanning four floors and 9,975 square feet.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'essentially.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Essentially.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essentially. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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