Basic in some respects (4)

I believe the answer is:

mere

'basic' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'in some respects' is the wordplay.
'in' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'MERE' can be found hidden inside 'some respects'.

(Other definitions for mere that I've seen before include "Nothing more than a small pool" , "Insignificant" , "of no significance" , "Former lake" , "sea" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

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