essentially
Britishadverb
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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A First Time for Everything
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Look Both Ways
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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.
The other bonus tracks are more reflective, essentially functioning as a post-mortem on her love life.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
“So, you’re essentially removing the staff and facilities that are closest to the locations of which they’re helping and supporting, and you’re also cutting off this critical research capability.”
From Salon • May 2, 2026
GameStop’s stock is essentially flat over the past 12 months.
From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026
Industry-level gross domestic product rose 0.2% in February, slightly faster than the 0.1% climb recorded in the first month of 2026, and Statistics Canada’s advance data indicates output was essentially unchanged in March.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
For the purposes of understanding music theory, however, the important thing about standing waves in winds is this: the harmonic series they produce is essentially the same as the harmonic series on a string.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
