virtually

adverb

vir·​tu·​al·​ly ˈvər-chə-wə-lē 

-chə-lē;

ˈvərch-wə-lē

1

a

: almost entirely : nearly

The project is virtually complete.

Virtually every applicant was overqualified for the job.

b

: for all practical purposes

She was virtually unknown prior to starring in the film.

It is virtually impossible to know the truth of the matter.

2

: by means of a computer or computer network : in a virtual location

The meeting is being held virtually.

They did all their shopping virtually.

Synonyms

• practically
• almost
• nearly

Examples of virtually in a Sentence

We spent virtually all day shopping.

The stadium was virtually empty by the time the game ended.

I remember virtually everything he said.

That illness is virtually unknown in this area.

Recent Examples on the Web

Much of Slate's design and engineering work has been done virtually. —Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025

For those viewers questioning why Kendra Licari virtually harassed her own daughter, the answer is not made entirely clear in the documentary, Borgman explained in the interview. —Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025

Those $1 billion-plus prizes on all the ads only pay out that much, in total, if the winner chooses to receive their winnings in the form of a smaller annual payment spread out over decades – which virtually no one does. —Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025

Despite virtually nonexistent production infrastructure, PMI over the next two years backed half a dozen Cayman-shot movies, typically budgeted between $5 million and $10 million and starring the likes of Harvey Keitel, Iggy Pop and Don Johnson. —Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1b