basically

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has developed in the 20th century from a specific meaning 'essentially, fundamentally', to a more or less meaningless sentence filler comparable to actually and really:

Basically, I feel great, except for fatigue—M. Ali, 1987

Basically I see myself as a frank individual—Saul Bellow, 1988

I think it basically comes down to the language barrier—Observer Sport Magazine 2004.

This should be avoided in written English that aims to be precise and succinct.

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adverb

In regard to the essence of a matter: essentially, fundamentally. Idioms: at bottom, at heart, in essence. See surface/depth.

adv

Definition: fundamentally
Antonyms: additionally, extra, nonessentially

IN BRIEF: In a fundamental way.

The novel needed a bit more polishing, but basically was ready for the editor's review.

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Common misspelling(s) of basically

• basicly
• basicaly

Dansk (Danish)
adv. - basalt, generelt

Nederlands (Dutch)
eigenlijk, in feite, waar het op neer komt is, fundamenteel

Français (French)
adv. - fondamentalement, au fond, pratiquement, avant tout, en principe, dans l'ensemble

Deutsch (German)
adv. - im Grunde, hauptsächlich

Ελληνική (Greek)
adv. - βασικά, κατά βάση

Italiano (Italian)
fondamentalmente

Português (Portuguese)
adv. - basicamente

Русский (Russian)
по сути, вообще-то

Español (Spanish)
adv. - fundamentalmente, esencialmente

Svenska (Swedish)
adv. - i grund och botten, i stort sett, egentligen

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
基本上, 主要地

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adv. - 基本上, 主要地

한국어 (Korean)
adv. - 기초적으로, 근본적으로

日本語 (Japanese)
adv. - 基本的に, 根本的に, 元来

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(ظرف) أساسيا, جوهريا‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adv. - ‮ביסודו של דבר‬

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