basically

American  

[bey-sik-lee] / ˈbeɪ sɪk li /

adverb

1. in a way that involves or affects the fundamental character or condition.

   The building needs a few repairs, but is basically sound.

2. as a recap of the main point or idea; if put simply or briefly.

   Basically, her advice boils down to “Eat a sensible, balanced diet, and relax.”

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basically British  

/ ˈbeɪsɪklɪ /

adverb

1. in a fundamental or elementary manner; essentially

   strident and basically unpleasant

2. (sentence modifier) in essence; in summary; put simply

   basically we had underestimated mother nature

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Other Word Forms

• quasi-basically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of basically

First recorded in 1900–05; basic + -ally

Example Sentences

Blanche’s settlement was not well received by basically anyone in Congress, and it led to a contentious meeting during which the attorney failed to adequately address lawmakers’ questions.

From Slate • Jul. 9, 2026

“Because lithium-ion needs to actively cool, you’re basically paying to refrigerate your batteries or using energy to refrigerate your batteries, and we don’t need any of that stuff,” said Mossburg.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026

This was basically a description of the Fed’s “dot-plot” forecast released after the meeting.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 8, 2026

"We have enough cable powering all of these incredible technical systems to get basically from London to Birmingham and back again."

From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026

In fact, the essence of noise, "white noise," is basically every pitch at once, so that no particular pitch is heard.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

• essentially
• mostly