essentially
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
basically; used when you are describing the most important part of something.
fundamentally or inherently; used to highlight the core characteristic of a thing or situation despite superficial details.
Simple“The two mobile phones are essentially the same, though they look different.”
In context“While the two political proposals differ in their specific wording, they are essentially advocating for the same structural reforms to the tax system.”
UsageOften functions as a sentence adverb or modifies an adjective to simplify a comparison.
Teacher's tipLearners often over-use 'basically' in formal writing; 'essentially' is a more sophisticated alternative for academic or professional contexts.
SynonymsAntonyms
Usage essentially consist
“You’re in your own clothes, already sweating, and then on top of that you have to essentially put on full PPE,” she says.”
“Aviv writes, not entirely comfortably, of how she is essentially living out her own mother’s dream career.”
From essential + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.