essentially

adv

1. In an essential way.

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

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

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

   “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.”

2. (broadly)In an essential way.

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