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

“I think they’re basically taking the position that there’s smoke, there’s fire,” Briffault said.

From Slate • May 8, 2026

One student confesses that when she lets AI do too much of the work, “my critical thinking skills basically vanish.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Goldman Sachs has a basket of what it calls high-beta momentum stocks, basically winners and losers over the last year, with an extra weighting on the outliers over the last month.

From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026

“This was all basically a nerd war over lines that didn’t actually improve any districts anywhere.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

This may seem counterintuitive, but remember, you are basically compensating for the transposition that is "built into" the instrument.

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

Related Words

• essentially
• mostly