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

• about
• all but
• almost
• borderline
• fair [chiefly British]
• fairly
• feckly [chiefly Scottish]
• more or less
• most
• much
• near
• nearly
• next to
• nigh
• practically
• somewhere
• well-nigh

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

One way to understand that unquenchable mentality is that he’s proven virtually immune even to complacency. —Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 23 May 2025

Most of those changes expire at the end of this year, but there has been virtually no dissent among Republicans, who control the House and Senate, about keeping them intact. —David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2025

This approach could provide connections to virtually any trailer. —Richard Bishop, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025

Gottesman ruled that through the date of the ruling, February 2024, Excel was owed virtually all of the commission back for those players who had absconded directly to WME — 90 percent of it, which amounts to 4.5 percent of the overall salary. —Evan Drellich, New York Times, 22 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1b