essentially

comparative more essentially · superlative most essentially

1. In an essential way.
   1. In essence: by nature.

      The beaver is a social creature, not just occasionally but essentially.

      3 more examples

      Near-synonyms: actually, at bottom, at heart, basically, fundamentally, characteristically, centrally, substantially; see also Thesaurus:fundamentally

      A thin, crunchy lemon and thyme rosti was essentially the pimped-up aesthetic of the Kettle chip. That's OK. I like Kettle chips.

      2011 December 18, Jay Rayner, “Restaurant review: Aurelia”, in The Observer, →ISSN, archived from the original on 15 Aug 2022

      A doorknob of whatever roundish shape is effectively a continuum of levers, with the axis of the latching mechanism—known as the spindle—being the fulcrum about which the turning takes place. Applying a force tangential to the knob is essentially equivalent to applying one perpendicular to a radial line defining the lever.

      2012 March 28, Henry Petroski, “Opening Doors”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, pages 112–3

      Synonyms: inherently, intrinsically, innately, naturally, quintessentially, in and of itself, inherently, innately · Antonyms: circumstantially, happenstantially, incidentally, coincidentally, by chance, accidentally, accidentally, adventitiously

   2. broadlyIn essence: in most ways that matter; in all ways that matter.

      A: So you're saying, in other words, that he's greedy? B: Essentially, yes, that's what I'm saying.

      Synonyms: basically, fundamentally, substantially, substantively, more or less, at bottom, at heart, au fond