Synonyms for essentially
Most common
mostly basically largely primarily ultimately fundamentally well-nigh
Synonyms by meaning
Adverb
1. Basically — in an essential way. In essence, in most ways that matter; in all ways that matter
basically, more-or-less, largely, mostly, primarily, all in all, mainly, substantially, principally, substantively, chiefly, by and large, approximately, materially
2. Fundamentally — in an essential way. In essence, by nature
fundamentally, actually, ultimately, inherently, intrinsically, naturally, characteristically, innately, quintessentially, per se, centrally, au fond
Other
Definitions
- adv. 1
In an essential way. In essence: by nature.
The beaver is a social creature, not just occasionally but essentially.
- adv. 2
In an essential way. In 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.
Example sentences
- mostly Tooth enamel is mostly composed of hydroxyapatite.
- basically Yanni was basically running his father's business.
- largely It turned out that my memory was largely correct.
- primarily The language is primarily spoken within families.
- ultimately Ultimately this bill did not see the light of day.
- fundamentally I'm afraid you've fundamentally misunderstood me.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| essentially | falling | |
| mostly | rising | |
| basically | steady | |
| largely | steady | |
| primarily | falling | |
| ultimately | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 6 letters
- mostly2, mainly2
- 7 letters
- largely2, chiefly2
- 8 letters
- actually4, innately3
- 9 letters
- basically3, primarily4, naturally4, centrally3
- 10 letters
- ultimately4, inherently4, materially5
- 11 letters
- principally3
- 13 letters
- approximately5, substantially4, fundamentally5, intrinsically5, substantively4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (mostly2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- essentiellement
- Italiano
- essenzialmente
- Español
- esencialmente