basicallyadverb
uk/ˈbeɪ.sɪ.kəl.i/us/ˈbeɪ.sɪ.kəl.i/B2 used when referring to the main or most important characteristic or feature of something:
Basically, (= the most important thing is that) they want a lot more information about the project before they'll put any money into it.
"So what's the difference between these two TVs?" "Well, they're basically the same, but the more expensive one has 3D."
The car's basically OK, but the paintwork needs some attention.
The village has remained basically unchanged for over 300 years.
More examples
- She has a conception of people as being basically good.
- The party's principles are basically egalitarian.
- The plots of his books are basically all the same.
- She's made one or two slips - mainly spelling errors - but it's basically well written.
- It was basically a selfish act, though no doubt a sophist would argue that it was done for the general good.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Essential or necessary
- a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do idiom
- basis
- be a question of doing sth idiom
- business-critical
- dependence
- essential
- imply
- incumbent
- indispensable
- inherent
- integral
- interdependent
- needed
- needful
- occasion
- on a need-to-know basis idiom
- owe
- owe it to yourself idiom
- underlying
- warrant
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