Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
essentially - 2 dictionary results

es⋅sen⋅tial

  [uh-sen-shuhl]
Use essentially in a Sentence
–adjective
1. absolutely necessary; indispensable: Discipline is essential in an army.
2. pertaining to or constituting the essence of a thing.
3. noting or containing an essence of a plant, drug, etc.
4. being such by its very nature or in the highest sense; natural; spontaneous: essential happiness.
5. Mathematics.
a. (of a singularity of a function of a complex variable) noting that the Laurent series at the point has an infinite number of terms with negative powers.
b. (of a discontinuity) noting that the function is discontinuous and has no limit at the point. Compare removable (def. 2).
–noun
6. a basic, indispensable, or necessary element; chief point: Concentrate on essentials rather than details.
Origin:
1300–50; ME essencial < ML essenciālis for LL essentiālis. See essence, -al 1

Related forms:
es⋅sen⋅tial⋅ly, adverb
es⋅sen⋅tial⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. fundamental, basic, inherent, intrinsic, vital. See necessary. 2. Essential, inherent, intrinsic refer to that which is in the natural composition of a thing. Essential suggests that which is in the very essence or constitution of a thing: Oxygen and hydrogen are essential in water. Inherent means inborn or fixed from the beginning as a permanent quality or constituent of a thing: properties inherent in iron. Intrinsic implies belonging to the nature of a thing itself, and comprised within it, without regard to external considerations or accidentally added properties: the intrinsic value of diamonds.

Antonyms:
2. incidental, extraneous, extrinsic; accidental.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To essentially
es·sen·tial   (ĭ-sěn'shəl)   
adj.  
  1. Constituting or being part of the essence of something; inherent.
  2. Basic or indispensable; necessary: essential ingredients. See Synonyms at indispensable.
  3. Medicine Of, relating to, or being a dysfunctional condition or a disease whose cause is unknown: essential hypertension.
  4. Biochemistry Being a substance that is required for normal functioning but cannot be synthesized by the body and therefore must be included in the diet: essential amino acids.
n.  
  1. Something fundamental.
  2. Something necessary or indispensable.
es·sen'ti·al'i·ty (-shē-āl'ĭ-tē), es·sen'tial·ness n., es·sen'tial·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see essentially on Thesaurus | Reference