Essence

Pronunciation: /ˈɛsəns/

Essence (noun)

  1. the most important quality or feature of something
  2. a strong liquid taken from a plant or food, used for flavor or smell
  3. the basic nature or quality that makes something what it is

Examples

  • The essence of the story is about friendship.
  • Understanding is the essence of effective communication.

Common collocations: capture the essence, essence of life, true essence, vanilla essence, essence of lemon

Synonyms of Essence

Formal

Neutral

Antonyms of Essence

  • When discussing depth versus surface qualities.