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View synonyms for essence

essence

[ es-uhns ]

noun

  1. the basic, real, and invariable nature of a thing or its significant individual feature or features:

    Freedom is the very essence of our democracy.

    Synonyms: core, soul, principle, heart, lifeblood, spirit, substance

  2. a substance obtained from a plant, drug, or the like, by distillation, infusion, etc., and containing its characteristic properties in concentrated form.
  3. an alcoholic solution of an essential oil; spirit.
  4. a perfume; scent.
  5. Philosophy. the inward nature, true substance, or constitution of anything, as opposed to what is accidental, phenomenal, illusory, etc.
  6. something that exists, especially a spiritual or immaterial entity.


essence

/ ˈɛsəns /

noun

  1. the characteristic or intrinsic feature of a thing, which determines its identity; fundamental nature
  2. the most distinctive element of a thing

    the essence of a problem

  3. a perfect or complete form of something, esp a person who typifies an abstract quality

    he was the essence of gentility

  4. philosophy
    1. the unchanging and unchangeable nature of something which is necessary to its being the thing it is; its necessary properties Compare accident
    2. the properties in virtue of which something is called by its name
    3. the nature of something as distinct from, and logically prior to, its existence
  5. theol an immaterial or spiritual entity
    1. the constituent of a plant, usually an oil, alkaloid, or glycoside, that determines its chemical or pharmacological properties
    2. an alcoholic solution of such a substance
  6. a substance, usually a liquid, containing the properties of a plant or foodstuff in concentrated form

    vanilla essence

  7. a rare word for perfume
  8. in essence
    essentially; fundamentally
  9. of the essence
    indispensable; vitally important
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Other Words From

  • self-essence noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of essence1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English essencia, from Medieval Latin, from Latin essentia, equivalent to esse + -ence
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Word History and Origins

Origin of essence1

C14: from Medieval Latin essentia, from Latin: the being (of something), from esse to be
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. in essence, essentially; at bottom, often despite appearances:

    For all his bluster, he is in essence a shy person.

  2. of the essence, absolutely essential; critical; crucial:

    In chess, cool nerves are of the essence.

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Example Sentences

In “Snail,” a traumatized and lonely young Grace risks becoming a hoarding hermit until she bonds with the older Pinky, who is the essence of joie de vivre.

"One of the essences of this game is being able to figure out different ways of using each of these echoes," he says.

From BBC

Project 2025 claims that they are “the principal drivers of our $31-trillion national debt. ... In essence, our deficit problem is a Medicare and Medicaid problem.”

In April, he announced his position to “leave it to the states,” in essence abdicating a strong stance on abortion access.

The suggestions here go by a bunch of different names, but the premise is the same: They’re things that, in essence, promote other things.

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Definitions 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.

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Essenessence d'orient