You can use virtual to indicate that something is so nearly true that for most purposes it can be regarded as true.
Argentina came to a virtual standstill while the game was being played.
He claimed to be a virtual prisoner in his own home.
...conditions of virtual slavery.
Synonyms: practical, near, essential, implied More Synonyms of virtual
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Virtual objects and activities are generated by a computer to simulate real objects and activities.
[computing]
Up to four players can compete in a virtual world of role playing.
The site provided a virtual meeting place for activists.
virtualityuncountable noun
People speculate about virtuality systems, but we're already working on it.
virtual in British English
(ˈvɜːtʃʊəl)
adjective
1.
having the essence or effect but not the appearance or form of
a virtual revolution
2. physics
being, relating to, or involving a virtual image
a virtual focus
3.
stored, operated, or conducted using computers or the internet
virtual currency
virtual shopping
4.
existing as a computer-generated version that resembles that thing in reality
a virtual environment
virtual worlds
5. rare
capable of producing an effect through inherent power or virtue
6. physics
designating or relating to a particle exchanged between other particles that are interacting by a field of force
a virtual photon
See also exchange force
Word origin
C14: from Medieval Latin virtuālis effective, from Latin virtūsvirtue
virtual in American English
(ˈvɜrtʃuəl)
adjective
1.
being such practically or in effect, although not in actual fact or name
a virtual impossibility
2. Computing
a.
designating or of a kind of memory (sense 8b) that makes use of disk space to supplement main memory while large programs are being executed
b.
of, pertaining to, or taking place in cyberspace or in virtual reality
virtual shopping
Derived forms
virtuality (ˌvirtuˈality) (ˌvɜrtʃuˈæləti)
noun
Word origin
ME vertual < ML virtualis < L virtus, strength, virtue
Examples of 'virtual' in a sentence
virtual
So the virtual environment can be secured.
Computing (2010)
Welcome to the world of virtual reality.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
It helps if the virtual world mimics the real world.
Computing (2010)
So software vendors may refuse the use of the software in a virtual environment unless a new licence is agreed.
Computing (2010)
It is a clear sign of just how much crime has moved from the real world into the virtual one.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The reconstruction can be viewed on a tablet, smartphone or virtual reality headset.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Crew onboard are now using virtual reality headsets to make onboard repairs, with human guidance.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
FANCY getting a free virtual reality headset to see what it's like?
The Sun (2016)
It could be cheaper to build a presence into an existing virtual environment, which has the benefit of bringing with it a stable and active user base.
Computing (2010)
The accident happened when traffic had slowed to a virtual standstill after the first crash.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
What sort of dog owner would lend her dog to a virtual stranger?
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The virtual learning environment is a place where students and teachers can work together online.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He was a virtual prisoner the moment he put down his suitcase.
Christianity Today (2000)
This tale combines the real and virtual worlds in style.
The Sun (2010)
It was like churned glue and it brought a number of horses to a virtual standstill.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
But how do you succeed in this increasingly virtual environment?
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
He stopped her performing and made her a virtual prisoner in the house.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Exploration of new areas is at a virtual standstill because of the low oil price.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The amount of trust placed in virtual strangers was unnerving.
Pantano, James A. (MD) Living with Angina (1991)
The aim is to get them to confront and overcome their fears in a controlled virtual reality environment.
The Sun (2007)
View it on the phone or in a virtual reality headset - the results are amazing.
The Sun (2016)
Then you go through the game completing quests and killing Monsters in a virtual world.
The Sun (2013)
This has brought the stadium's completion to a virtual standstill.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
One of the big trends in Las Vegas was the virtual reality headset.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In other languages
virtual
British English: virtual /ˈvɜːtʃʊəl/ ADJECTIVE
You can use virtual to indicate that something is so nearly true that for most purposes it can be regarded as being true.
The men say that they were held in virtual slavery and paid nothing for their work.
American English: virtual
Arabic: وَاقِعِيّ
Brazilian Portuguese: virtual
Chinese: 虚拟的
Croatian: stvaran
Czech: praktický
Danish: faktisk
Dutch: virtueel
European Spanish: virtual
Finnish: tosiasiallinen factual
French: virtuel
German: fast völlig
Greek: εικονικός
Italian: virtuale
Japanese: 実質上の
Korean: 가상의
Norwegian: virtuell
Polish: wirtualny
European Portuguese: virtual
Romanian: virtual
Russian: фактический
Latin American Spanish: virtual
Swedish: virtuell
Thai: โดยแท้จริง
Turkish: sanal
Ukrainian: фактичний
Vietnamese: thực sự
All related terms of 'virtual'
virtual human
a computer-generated moving image of a human being, used esp in films as an extra in large crowd scenes
virtual image
an optical image formed by the apparent divergence of rays from a point, rather than their actual divergence from a point
virtual world
You can use world to refer to a particular field of activity, and the people involved in it.
virtual memory
Virtual memory is a computing technique in which you increase the size of a computer's memory by arranging or storing the data in it in a different way .
virtual reality
Virtual reality is an environment which is produced by a computer and seems very like reality to the person experiencing it.
virtual retail
Virtual retail is retailing on the Internet .
virtual storage
Virtual storage is the same as → virtual memory .
virtual assistant
A virtual assistant is a wireless electronic device that can respond to spoken commands , for example by giving information.
virtual currency
The money used in a particular country is referred to as its currency .
virtual standstill
If movement or activity comes to or is brought to a standstill , it stops completely.
virtual environment
Someone's environment is all the circumstances , people, things, and events around them that influence their life.
digital wallet
an application or device which enables the user to make payments electronically. Typically other functions such as age and identity verification are also provided
Chinese translation of 'virtual'
virtual
(ˈvəːtjuəl)
adj
实(實)际(際)上的 (shíjì shang de)
(Comput) 虚(虛)拟(擬)的 (xūnǐ de)
it's a virtual certainty/impossibility这(這)实(實)际(際)上是件已确(確)定的事/不可能的事 (zhè shíjì shang shì jiàn yǐ quèdìng de shì/bù kěnéng de shì)
(adjective)
Definition
having the effect but not the appearance or form of
He was a virtual prisoner in his own home.
Synonyms
practical
near
essential
implied
She felt undermined by the implied criticism.
indirect
implicit
She wanted to make explicit in the film what was implicit in the play.
tacit
a tacit admission that a mistake had been made
near enough
unacknowledged
in all but name
Additional synonyms
in the sense of implicit
Definition
expressed indirectly
She wanted to make explicit in the film what was implicit in the play.
Synonyms
implied,
understood,
suggested,
hinted at,
taken for granted,
unspoken,
inferred,
tacit,
undeclared,
insinuated,
unstated,
unsaid,
unexpressed
in the sense of implied
Definition
hinted at or suggested
She felt undermined by the implied criticism.
Synonyms
suggested,
inherent,
indirect,
hinted at,
implicit,
unspoken,
tacit,
undeclared,
insinuated,
unstated,
unexpressed
in the sense of tacit
Definition
understood or implied without actually being stated