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.
A firebreak is essentially a stretch of land that has been stripped of all vegetation to stop the fire from spreading.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Unlike grilled Caesar salad, Lawson’s riff on a classic is essentially baked lettuce.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
We hear the underdog aesthetic term rasquachismo used to describe these early impromptu performances: essentially a colorful funkiness, “so funky that nothing can undermine you,” Valdez says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
For both Paramount and Warner, Friday’s action essentially means a halt to integration efforts for the foreseeable future.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Anyone who reads them with attention discovers that even the most nonsensical take place in a world which is essentially rational and matter-of-fact.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
