essentially
Americanadverb
adverb
Other Word Forms
Explanation
Notice the tie between essentially and the word "essence," referring to the very core of something. As an adverb, then, essentially refers to something's nature. In spite of your faults, you're essentially a good person. The word essentia came from the Lower Latin, referring to something's inherent qualities. If you're convinced that there's not much difference between two things, you might say that they are essentially the same. Nietzsche once made the essentially sexist comment, "Man wishes woman to be peaceable, but in fact she is essentially warlike, like the cat.”
Vocabulary lists containing essentially
Amari and the Night Brothers
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Zacharia's halting Tuesday press conference performance, combined with those questions about her legal background, essentially sealed her fate.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
With every language-services company using its own accuracy measures, everyone essentially grades their own homework, using their own rules.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
In other words, black holes separated by enormous differences in mass appear to activate delayed jets at essentially the same relative feeding rate.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
“He essentially gave birth to the idea that in television, the writer is the most important member of the team,” remarks Mr. Sepinwall, who seems to have watched every available recording of programs involving Serling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
I relished seeing the familiar faces of my relatives, and I essentially met my grandparents for the first time.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
