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essence

/ˈɛsəns/noun2 syllables

Essence means: the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience.

Synonyms for essence26

noun, as in the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience

kernel, substance, core, center, centre, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, marrow, meat, nub, pith, sum, nitty-gritty

noun, as in the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work

noun, as in a toiletry that emits and diffuses a fragrant odor

also used for essence

quintessence, aroma, whatness, crux, bouquet, nature, ousia, quiddity

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does essence mean?4

noun

1

the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience“the gist of the prosecutor's argument”

2

the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work

3

a toiletry that emits and diffuses a fragrant odor

4

any substance possessing to a high degree the predominant properties of a plant or drug or other natural product from which it is extracted

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with essence?2

three syllables

fluorescence

four syllables

Show 40 near rhymes

Essence in a sentence

  • This, in essence, is the secret of science.shekitten
  • This sentence captures beautifully the very essence of our world's ways.LoverofEnglish
  • I like how his essence lingers in his garments.Nuel
  • Secrecy is of the essence in this matter.unknown
  • For all his political activities he was in essence a singer.unknown
  • Freedom is the very essence of our democracy.shekitten
  • Extract an essence from the bark of a tree.unknown
  • Learning to listen is the essence of intelligent living.Adelpa

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of essence

as a noun

plural
essences