| Main Entry: | bottom line |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | indispensable content |
Synonyms: |
basis, conclusion, core, crux, determination, essence, fiber, final decision, fundamentals, income, key point, last word, loss, main idea, main point, main thing, meat and potatoes, name of the game, net, nitty-gritty, nuts and bolts, point, profit, reality, sum and substance, what it's all about, whole story |
| Main Entry: | essence |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | heart, significance |
Synonyms: |
aspect, attribute, backbone, base, basis, be-all and end-all, being, bottom, bottom line, burden, caliber, character, chief constituent, constitution, core, crux, element, entity, essentia, essentiality, fiber, form, fundamentals, germ, grain, kernel, life, lifeblood, main idea, marrow, meaning, meat*, name of game, nature, nitty-gritty, nub, nucleus, pith, point, principle, property, quality, quiddity, quintessence, reality, root, soul, spirit, structure, stuff, substance, timber, vein, virtuality |
| Main Entry: | essential |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | basic, fundamental |
Synonyms: |
absolute, basal, cardinal, cold, complete, congenital, connate, constitutional, deep-seated, elemental, elementary, ideal, inborn, inbred, inherent, innate, intrinsic, key, main, material, meat and potatoes, name of the game, nitty-gritty, nub, perfect, primary, prime, primitive, principal, quintessential, substratal, underlying |
| Notes: | the words crucial, essential, and vital cannot be qualified (cannot be more or less...) |
Antonyms: |
atypical, minor, secondary |
| Main Entry: | essential |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | necessity, basic |
Synonyms: |
ABCs, bottom line, brass tacks, condition, element, essence, fire and ice, fundamental, groceries, guts*, heart, meat and potatoes, must, name of the game, nitty-gritty, nuts and bolts, part and parcel, precondition, prerequisite, principle, quintessence, requirement, requisite, rudiment, sine qua non, stuff, substance, vital part, where one's at |
Antonyms: |
accessory, auxiliary, nonessential, subsidiary, throwaway, trivia |
| Main Entry: | gist |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | meaning, essence |
Synonyms: |
basis, bearing, bottom line, burden, core, drift, force, heart, idea, import, kernel, keynote, marrow, matter, meat*, name of the game, nature of the beast, nitty gritty, nuts and bolts, pith, point, punch line, quintessence, score, sense, short, significance, soul, spirit, stuff*, subject, substance, summary, tenor, theme, thrust, topic, upshot |
| Main Entry: | import |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | meaning |
Synonyms: |
acceptation, bearing, bottom line, construction, drift*, gist*, heart*, implication, intendment, intention, interpretation, meat*, message, name of the game, nature of beast, nuts and bolts, point, punch line, purport, score*, sense, significance, significancy, signification, stuff*, thrust, understanding |
| Main Entry: | intent/intention |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | aim, purpose |
Synonyms: |
acceptation, animus, bottom line, conation, design, desire, drift, end, goal, heart, hope, idea, import, intendment, meaning, meat*, name of the game, nature, notion, nub, nuts and bolts, object, objective, plan, point, project, purport, scheme, score, sense, significance, significancy, signification, target, understanding, volition, will, wish |
| Main Entry: | meaning |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | message, signification |
Synonyms: |
acceptation, allusion, bearing, bottom line, connotation, content, context, definition, denotation, drift, effect, essence, explanation, force, gist, heart*, hint, implication, import, interpretation, intimation, meat, name of the game, nature of beast, nitty-gritty, nuance, nuts and bolts, pith, point, purport, sense, significance, spirit, stuff, subject, subject matter, substance, suggestion, symbolization, tenor, thrust, understanding, upshot, use, value, worth |
| Main Entry: | nature |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | character, disposition |
Synonyms: |
attributes, being, bottom line, complexion, constitution, description, drift, essence, essentiality, features, heart*, humor, individualism, individuality, like, makeup, meat*, mood, name of game, name of tune, nature of beast, outlook, personality, point, quality, score, stuff, temper, temperament, texture, traits, type |
| Main Entry: | necessary |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | essential |
Synonyms: |
all-important, basic, binding, bottom-line, cardinal, chief, compelling, compulsory, crucial, de rigueur, decisive, elementary, exigent, expedient, fundamental, imperative, incumbent on, indispensable, mandatory, momentous, name of game, needed, needful, obligatory, paramount, prerequisite, pressing, prime, principal, quintessential, required, requisite, significant, specified, unavoidable, urgent, vital, wanted |
Antonyms: |
inessential, unimportant, unnecessary, useless |