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
The divergence in performance across the Club's portfolio in April reinforces our belief that there are essentially two markets right now — the data center stocks and everything else.
—Zev Fima,alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 1 May 2026
Beating the team that has essentially run the Metropolitan Division for the past half-decade is a much tougher task.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Now the district will essentially be erased, spread out across multiple districts.
—ABC News, 1 May 2026
The legislation, then, is essentially a fight between two large business interests, pitting financial companies — including Visa, Mastercard, airlines and banks — against retailers, from Target and Home Depot to local restaurants and smaller businesses.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for essentially
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Zev Fima,alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 1 May 2026
Beating the team that has essentially run the Metropolitan Division for the past half-decade is a much tougher task.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Now the district will essentially be erased, spread out across multiple districts.
—ABC News, 1 May 2026
The legislation, then, is essentially a fight between two large business interests, pitting financial companies — including Visa, Mastercard, airlines and banks — against retailers, from Target and Home Depot to local restaurants and smaller businesses.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for essentially
Cite this Entry
“Essentially.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essentially. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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