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

This week the island's energy minister acknowledged that Cuba has, in essence, run out of fuel oil.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

As the manager of the the California Department of Education, the state superintendent serves, in essence, as the chief staffer for the State Board of Education, whose members are appointed by the governor.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

“But in essence, I think that’s the spirit of what they’re doing.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

Instead, they wrote what was in essence a series of dueling law-review articles on the major-questions doctrine.

From Slate • Mar. 4, 2026

A refutation of this argument, in essence, can be found in Cicero, although of course without either typewriters or Shakespeare.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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