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
He essentially said that Obergefell is safe because Americans have a reliance interest in it.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
Looking ahead, scientists project that the Arctic Ocean could become essentially free of sea ice during the summer at least once before the middle of the 21st century.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 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
Over the long haul things would have a way of working themselves out toward an essentially good position.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
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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.
