essence
(Formal)
[noun]
Synonyms:
- fundamental nature, being, core, heart, nature, quintessence, soul, spirit, substance
- concentrate, distillate, extract, spirits, tincture

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Related Words: entity, form, substance, timber, element, fiber, property, aspect, attribute, quality, spirit, inwardness, significance, crux, gist, kernel, nub, nubbin, distillate, distillation

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English Thesaurus: meaning, the gist, the drift/your drift, the essence, the thrust, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

es‧sence /ˈesəns/ noun
[Word Family: noun: essence, essentials ≠ inessentials; adverb: essentially; adjective: essential ≠ inessential]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: French; Origin: Latin essentia, from esse 'to be']

1. [singular] the most basic and important quality of something
essence of
The essence of Arsenal’s style of football was speed.
She seems the very essence of kindness (=she seems very kind).

2. in essence used when talking about the most basic and important part of something, especially an idea, belief, or argument:
In essence his message was very simple.

3. [uncountable and countable] a liquid obtained from a plant, flower etc that has a very strong smell or taste and is used especially in cooking:
vanilla essence

4. something is of the essence used to say that something is very important:
Good communications are of the essence to remain competitive.
time/speed is of the essence (=it is very important to do something quickly)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

essence
noun
I. basic/most important quality of sth
ADJ. real, true, very
VERB + ESSENCE capture, convey, embody, encapsulate, represent His paintings embody the very essence of the immediate post-war years.
PREP. in ~ His theory was not new in essence.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

essence
II. concentrated substance
ADJ. almond, vanilla, etc.
QUANT. dash, drop Add a few drops of vanilla essence.
VERB + ESSENCE add, use

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

meaning the thoughts or ideas that someone wants you to understand from what they say, do, write etc:
What do you think is the meaning of the poem?
the gist the main idea and meaning of something such as an article or a speech:
Read the story quickly first, just to get the gist of it.
I think I understand the gist of what you’re saying.
the drift/your drift the main set of ideas involved in something such as an explanation, argument, or account of something – often used when the ideas are not stated directly:
The drift of his letter is that he wants to come back.
I don’t quite follow your drift.
the essence the most important meaning of something such as an argument or piece of writing:
The essence of what he is saying is that human character is formed by society.
the thrust the most important message of an argument, explanation etc, especially when it consists of a set of connected ideas leading to a final answer or idea:
The overall thrust of her argument is that we need to do more to protect our environment.
the substance formal the most important ideas contained in an argument or piece of writing:
The substance of Marx’s views is the same in both of these books.
His article lacks substance (=there are no interesting or important ideas in it).
the implication the meaning of what someone says, writes etc that is not stated directly, but that people are expected to understand:
The implication was that they did not consider Harrison to be trustworthy.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲