essentially incorrect

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "essentially incorrect" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that is fundamentally wrong, even if there are some minor correct elements. Example: "While the theory has some valid points, it is essentially incorrect in its overall conclusion."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

Here is my concern: to project the success of the iPod onto the iPhone is tempting but essentially incorrect.

TechCrunch

He specifically faults Kant, and implicitly condemns Descartes and Plato for promulgating an essentially incorrect interpretation of experience.

Huffington Post

We consider their arguments vague, tendentious, and essentially incorrect.

Environmental Health Perspectives

In their letter, Needleman et al. suggest that our arguments regarding the ethics of human testing of pesticides (Resnik and Portier 2005) are "vague, tendentious, and essentially incorrect".

Environmental Health Perspectives

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

This iterative refinement process was conducted until essentially no incorrect assignment could be detected in even the largest test sets.

Journal of Cheminformatics

In May 1967, during the Cultural Revolution, as the Red Guards prepared to denounce him for essentially being politically incorrect, Mr. Yin rolled out a piano in the middle of Tiananmen Square.

The New York Times

The report essentially made the incorrect assumption that immigrants and their descendants would not be upwardly mobile.

Huffington Post

Note that, because our library was essentially free of incorrect adaptor configurations (e.g., two A adaptors, etc)., this biotin-streptavidin purification step was not actually necessary, but is described here for completeness.

BMC Genomics

Although the explanation turned out to be incorrect, "that paper essentially proved that the sky was not this quiet, tranquil place everyone thought," Dr. Cohen said.

The New York Times

Eventually, Service plan to expand this proactive monitoring feature to things like missed deliveries and and incorrect billing situations – essentially this is the start of a proactive commerce assistant that protects your purchases – almost like a 21st century version of a credit card's consumer protection features.

TechCrunch

Essentially, a no-call or incorrect genotype call is the result of abnormal hybridization intensity for a sample at a given SNP and may be due to technical or biological causes.

BMC Genomics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "essentially incorrect" when you want to convey that something is wrong at its core, even if it might have some superficial correctness. It's stronger than simply saying "incorrect."

Common error

Avoid overusing "essentially" as a filler word. Ensure it adds specific meaning by emphasizing a fundamental flaw, rather than just weakening the statement.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "essentially incorrect" functions as an adverbial modifier followed by an adjective. Ludwig shows it is used to qualify the degree to which something is wrong, emphasizing that the error is fundamental and not merely superficial. It highlights the core inaccuracy of a statement or idea.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

40%

Formal & Business

20%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "essentially incorrect" is a valid and usable phrase in English, as confirmed by Ludwig. It's used to express that something is wrong at its core, even if it might have some superficially correct aspects. While the phrase is not extremely common, it appears in reliable sources such as news articles and scientific publications. When using this phrase, ensure that the core idea you're addressing is indeed fundamentally flawed, and avoid overusing "essentially" as a mere filler. Consider alternatives like "fundamentally wrong" or "basically inaccurate" for variety. Ludwig AI indicates that this expression is grammatically sound.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

fundamentally wrong

Replaces "essentially" with "fundamentally", emphasizing the basic level of incorrectness.

basically inaccurate

Substitutes "essentially" with "basically" and "incorrect" with "inaccurate", offering a slightly less formal tone.

inherently flawed

Replaces the entire phrase with a description of the subject possessing an intrinsic fault.

categorically false

Highlights that the statement or idea is definitively untrue.

patently wrong

Emphasizes that the incorrectness is obvious and easily apparent.

completely misguided

Suggests the underlying reasoning or direction is fundamentally flawed.

at its core, wrong

Emphasizes that the fundamental element is wrong.

incorrect in principle

Highlights that it violates basic principles.

largely inaccurate

Implies a significant portion is not correct.

substantially flawed

Emphasizes that the incorrectness is significant and impacts overall validity.

FAQs

How can I use "essentially incorrect" in a sentence?

Use "essentially incorrect" to describe something fundamentally wrong, even if superficially plausible. For example: "While the premise seemed promising, the conclusion was "essentially incorrect"."

What's a more formal alternative to "essentially incorrect"?

For a more formal tone, consider using "fundamentally flawed" or "categorically false" instead of "essentially incorrect".

Is it redundant to say "completely and essentially incorrect"?

Yes, saying "completely and essentially incorrect" is often redundant. "Essentially" already implies a fundamental level of incorrectness, so adding "completely" doesn't significantly alter the meaning. Choose one or the other for clarity.

Which is correct: "essentially incorrect" or "essentially not correct"?

"Essentially incorrect" is the more concise and common phrasing. "Essentially not correct" is grammatically valid but less idiomatic and might sound awkward.