essentially

adverb

es·​sen·​tial·​ly i-ˈsen(t)-shə-lē How to pronounce essentially (audio)
-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
The fact that so many bloggers are essentially anonymous allows them to spew rancor, rumor, lies, and obscenities.Gil Troy
Aphids feed on the sugary phloem of plants. Essentially they steal the product of photosynthesis.Caleb Rounds

Examples of essentially in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That's essentially the story of cannabis in the past 20 years. Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024 The model essentially places an oval around a person’s body. Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 10 Dec. 2024 One of Reekie’s first jobs was to transform what was essentially a long corridor of government offices into rooms that would be desirable to artists — which now make up Somerset House Studios — raising money to do so from scratch. Lucy Handley, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2024 Because identical twins share essentially 100% of their genes and fraternal twins share, on average, 50%, most of the differences between them are due to the experiences one twin had but not the other. New Atlas, 9 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for essentially 

Word History

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of essentially was in 1774

Dictionary Entries Near essentially

Cite this Entry

“Essentially.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essentially. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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