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

“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

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

When asked what was in it, without answering he’d give a look that said in essence, “How can you possibly ask me that question? I’m deeply hurt and insulted.”

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

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