Meanings
comparative more basically · superlative most basically
- In a fundamental, essential or basic manner.
They've added some fancy features, but it's basically still a crappy car.
Synonyms: essentially
- Essentially; mostly; pretty much.
Synonyms: chiefly
- fillerUsed to refer to the most important or fundamental point that the speaker is making or to indicate a generalization or simplification; sometimes tending towards a meaningless filler word.
I shouldn't have done it, basically.
1 more example
To get your eyes tested, you should basically go to the optician's.
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbIn a fundamental, essential or basic manner.
adverbEssentially; mostly; pretty much.
More synonyms by meaning
adverbin essence; at bottom or by one's (or its) very nature
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷem-
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷémtis
- Proto-Hellenic*gʷə́tis
- Ancient Greekβᾰ́σῐς (bắsĭs)
- Latinbasis
- Old Frenchbase
- Middle Englishbase
- Englishbase
- Englishbasic
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
- Proto-Indo-European*leyg-
- Proto-Germanic*līką
- Englishbasically
Translations
Arabic ببَسَاطَة
- ببَسَاطَة (bi-basāṭa)in a fundamental or basic manner
Catalan bàsicament
- bàsicamentin a fundamental or basic manner
Estonian põhimõtteliselt
- põhimõtteliseltin a fundamental or basic manner
Finnish perimmältään, pohjimmiltaan
- perimmältäänin a fundamental or basic manner
- pohjimmiltaanin a fundamental or basic manner
- periaatteessain a fundamental or basic manner
French foncièrement, sommairement
- foncièrementin a fundamental or basic manner
- sommairementin a fundamental or basic manner
- à la basein a fundamental or basic manner
German im Prinzip
- im Prinzipin a fundamental or basic manner
Hebrew עֶקְרוֹנִית
- עֶקְרוֹנִית (eqronit)in a fundamental or basic manner
Hungarian lényegében, lényegét tekintve
- lényegébenin a fundamental or basic manner
- lényegét tekintvein a fundamental or basic manner
- alapvetőenin a fundamental or basic manner
Icelandic í grundvallaratriðum
- í grundvallaratriðumin a fundamental or basic manner
Italian praticamente, in pratica
- praticamentein a fundamental or basic manner
- in praticain a fundamental or basic manner
- basicamentein a fundamental or basic manner
Korean 근본적(根本的)으로
- 근본적(根本的)으로 (geunbonjeog-euro)in a fundamental or basic manner
Persian اساسا
- اساسا (asâsan)in a fundamental or basic manner
Polish zasadniczo, fundamentalnie
- zasadniczoin a fundamental or basic manner
- fundamentalniein a fundamental or basic manner
- podstawowoin a fundamental or basic manner
- z gruntuin a fundamental or basic manner
Portuguese basicamente
- basicamentein a fundamental or basic manner
Russian в основно́м, по существу́
- в основно́м (v osnovnóm)in a fundamental or basic manner
- по существу́ (po suščestvú)in a fundamental or basic manner
- в при́нципе (v príncipe)in a fundamental or basic manner
Spanish básicamente
- básicamentein a fundamental or basic manner
Ukrainian в основно́му
- в основно́му (v osnovnómu)in a fundamental or basic manner
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
basically. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/basically
“basically.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/basically. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “basically,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/basically.
Source: basically on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.