essentially
adverb
es·sen·tial·ly
i-ˈsen(t)-shə-lē 
-ˈsench-lē
: in essence : fundamentally
—used to identify or stress the basic or essential character or nature of a person or thing or to say that a description is basically true or accurate
He's essentially a good man.
… painting, essentially a two-dimensional art …—
Herbert Read
Herbert ReadThe fact that so many bloggers are essentially anonymous allows them to spew rancor, rumor, lies, and obscenities.—Gil Troy
Gil TroyAphids feed on the sugary phloem of plants. Essentially they steal the product of photosynthesis.—Caleb Rounds
Caleb RoundsExamples of essentially in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Two of which came over UCLA. USC, at its best, is essentially unbeatable.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2025
With the use of an external device, generally a computer, BCIs essentially facilitate communication between a person’s brain and that device.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register, 10 Mar. 2025
The latest flu season, which normally would have run until next month, essentially never happened.
—Aatish Bhatia, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2025
Reducing complexity, essentially narrow use-cases, allows AI to function effectively.
—Lutz Finger, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for essentially
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Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2025
With the use of an external device, generally a computer, BCIs essentially facilitate communication between a person’s brain and that device.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register, 10 Mar. 2025
The latest flu season, which normally would have run until next month, essentially never happened.
—Aatish Bhatia, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2025
Reducing complexity, essentially narrow use-cases, allows AI to function effectively.
—Lutz Finger, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for essentially
Cite this Entry
“Essentially.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essentially. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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