Entry 1 sense Webster, 1913 Essentially /ĕs-ĕn'-shəl-ē/ · Es·sen·tial·ly · IPA /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/ 01 adv. In an essential manner or degree; in an indispensable degree; really; as, essentially different. 1. In an essential manner or degree; in an indispensable degree; really; as, essentially different.