in essence; at bottom or by one's (or its) very nature
"He is basically dishonest"
"the argument was essentially a technical one"
"for all his bluster he is in essence a shy person"
in a fundamental, essential or basic manner
"The new software update is basically a complete overhaul of how the system manages memory."
In plain English: Basically means essentially or for all practical purposes.
"I basically forgot my keys at home, so I had to wait for someone else to let me in."
Usage: Use "basically" to indicate that you are describing something in its most essential form or to simplify a complex idea into its core components. Avoid using it as a filler word at the start of sentences when you simply mean "roughly" or "approximately."
Basically comes from combining the word basic with the suffix -ally to form an adverb meaning "in a fundamental way." This construction follows the standard pattern of adding -ly to adjectives to describe how something is done or felt.