in essence

Idioms  

1. Basically, by nature, as in He is in essence a very private person or In essence, they were asking the wrong question. This term employs essence in the sense of “intrinsic nature,” a usage dating from the mid-1600s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in essence

Tuchel has, in essence, built his England using a Premier League template in style and system, with a back four, midfield anchors in Rice and Elliot, Bellingham at '10', then two orthodox wide men.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

“I’ve always associated horror with summertime, actually. Like ‘Friday the 13th,’ ‘Sleepaway Camp’” — in essence, the freedom of summer invaded by fear and death.

From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026

UTLA: The district has offered, in essence, an 8% raise over two years, structured in different ways.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026

Nvidia has been paying a success tax, in essence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026

Were the Ptolemies in essence colonial occupiers and exploiters, bent on wringing the last drachma and obol from a captive land regardless of the consequences?

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Related Words

• actually
• approximately
• necessarily
• originally
• permanently
• quite
• really
• substantially
• truly
• typically
• virtually