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[ vur-choo-uhl ]
/ ˈvɜr tʃu əl /
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
adjective
being such in power, force, or effect, though not actually or expressly such: a virtual dependence on charity.
Optics.
- noting an image formed by the apparent convergence of rays geometrically, but not actually, prolonged, as the image formed by a mirror (opposed to real).
- noting a focus of a system forming virtual images.
temporarily simulated or extended by computer software: a virtual disk in RAM;virtual storage on a hard disk;a 3D virtual world.
existing, seen, or happening online or on a computer screen, rather than in person or in the physical world: You can take a virtual tour of the museum before your visit.I’ve started working out with a virtual personal trainer.Even with a robust multimedia curriculum, some students struggle with virtual learning and are better served in a face-to-face classroom.
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Origin of virtual
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin virtuālis, equivalent to Latin virtu(s) “maleness, worth” + -ālis adjective suffix; see virtue, -al1
OTHER WORDS FROM virtual
vir·tu·al·i·ty [vur-choo-al-i-tee], /ˌvɜr tʃuˈæl ɪ ti/, noun
Words nearby virtual
Viron, virosis, v. irr., Virtanen, virtu, virtual, virtual assistant, virtual human, virtual image, virtuality, virtualize
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
MORE ABOUT VIRTUAL
What does virtual mean?
Virtual is most generally used to describe something as being the same as something else in almost every way, except perhaps in name or some other minor, technical sense.
For example, describing a company as a virtual monopoly means it’s pretty much a monopoly but not technically one, perhaps because it has a few minor competitors.
Virtual also commonly means simulated or extended by computer software. The word is used this way in virtual reality, which refers to a fully simulated environment. Some things described as virtual may not be quite as immersive as virtual reality, such as a virtual museum tour that you can navigate on a website.
Sometimes, things described as virtual may not involve simulation at all, such as a virtual meeting or a virtual concert. The use of virtual in these phrases represents a more recent sense of the word that means something like “remote and via the internet” (especially when accessed via a live video feed).
The adverb form virtually can be used in the same way, as in I can’t make it into the office, but I’ll be working virtually.
Virtually is perhaps most commonly used in a more general way to mean in effect though not in fact, as in Today, virtually all cell phones are smartphones. Close synonyms are nearly, practically, and just about—they all mean virtually the same thing.
Example: The virtual convention will feature real speeches from virtually every VR expert in the industry.
Where does virtual come from?
The first records of the word virtual come from around 1400. It comes from the Medieval Latin virtuālis, meaning “effective” (in the sense of having the effect of something without the form or appearance of it).
The various senses of virtual are quite different, but they all involve something that’s not quite the real thing. Most generally, virtual is used to describe things as almost identical to but not exactly something else. The adverb virtually is perhaps most commonly used to describe things in this way.
The more specific use of virtual often involves computer simulations, as in virtual reality and virtual rendering. More recently, virtual has come to be used to describe things that aren’t simulations but real things that can be experienced in a remote location in some way, often via a live video feed.
This is how virtual is most commonly used in the term virtual school, which refers to an educational program that takes place in a virtual environment. Though it usually takes place on a computer screen, virtual school can take different forms. It may consist of a conventional classroom scenario simply moved online in the form of a live, two-way video stream in which a teacher and their students can interact in real time. It can also consist of a less interactive model, in which students can access educational materials through a computer interface, often with occasional communication with an instructor. Or it can be a blend of these approaches. Virtual school can also refer to a specific school that provides instruction using such programs, as in My daughter attends a virtual school.
Did you know … ?
How is virtual used in real life?
Virtual can be used in several ways, but all of them describe something that’s not quite the real thing.
16 December 1653. Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector (a virtual dictator) of England, Scotland and Ireland.
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) December 16, 2013
#IITBombay holds its 58th annual convocation ceremony in a virtual reality mode in view of the #COVID19 pandemic. pic.twitter.com/ESyAp3siGb
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) August 23, 2020
Nothing like getting your virtual receipt for the virtual album you bought with your virtual money.
— Rob Thomas (@RobotThomas) January 9, 2019
will never get over the fact that every adult human I know finds zoom work meetings utterly exhausting, yet many districts are forcing kids (regardless of age or need) to do that ALL DAY LONG in virtual school (webcams on, or you’re marked absent)
— Nicole Chung (@nicolesjchung) August 27, 2020
Try using virtual!
Is virtual used correctly in the following sentence?
I find that virtual concerts don’t have the same energy as a show with a live audience.
Words related to virtual
computerized, simulated, digital, basic, constructive, essential, fundamental, implicit, implied, indirect, in effect, in practice, potential, practical, pragmatic, tacit, unacknowledged
How to use virtual in a sentence
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Biden’s schedule on Thursday also includes a call with Senate Democrats and a virtual Rosh Hashanah event.
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When Alchemist Accelerator shifted its Demo Day to virtual earlier this year, Alchemist director and founder Ravi Belani told me it was a move he expected the team to stick with for some time.
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Close out Disrupt on Friday with a live, virtual Cocktail Party on Run the World.
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Explore and connect with more than 40 early-stage mobility startups exhibiting in our virtual expo.
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Over the summer, the financial services company ran Fidelity Kids Camp, five weeks of virtual full-day summer activities for employees’ kids.
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Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders cannot be accessed without a virtual private network.
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Just download the Virtual Joey App and you are ready to stream DISH service right to that screen.
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Their new Virtual Joey app turns your existing PlayStation 3—and soon PS4—into its very own DVR.
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The user is then transported into a 360-degree virtual world.
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In a virtual world, it revives the relevance of authenticity.
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Indeed, individual cases show a virtual lack of self-reliance.
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The king, while fully acknowledging Clive’s services, thought him guilty of «rapine,» and disapproved of his virtual acquittal.
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His empire thus consolidated, he would be virtual master of half the solid earth in the Eastern hemisphere.
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Their virtual assertion of popular sovereignty was temporarily smothered by imported tyranny in the shape of Sir Edmund Andros.
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All the American press is not founded upon this system of virtual blackmail.
British Dictionary definitions for virtual
adjective
having the essence or effect but not the appearance or form ofa virtual revolution
physics being, relating to, or involving a virtual imagea virtual focus
computing of or relating to virtual storagevirtual memory
of or relating to a computer technique by which a person, wearing a headset or mask, has the experience of being in an environment created by the computer, and of interacting with and causing changes in it
rare capable of producing an effect through inherent power or virtue
physics designating or relating to a particle exchanged between other particles that are interacting by a field of forcea virtual photon See also exchange force
Word Origin for virtual
C14: from Medieval Latin virtuālis effective, from Latin virtūs virtue
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
What does the word virtual mean?
According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word virtual is an adjective with a couple of different meanings. A person can use virtual to mean that something is nearly true, and can be regarded as true. The word virtual can also mean generated by a computer, or simulating real objects or activities. For example, people may state that an operating system, Bluetooth headset, computer software or hardware, a computer technique, a hard disk, a web site, a computer network, or anything else relating to a computer system or the means of a computer are virtual. Virtual in this sense means a product of the imagination, created not in actual fact but in cyberspace.
This word can be used in the literary criticism of a text. Many things can be virtual, including virtual ruin, a virtual machine, virtual photons, virtual media, a virtual dictator, a virtual revolution, virtual focus, a virtual tour of the museum, virtual dependence, a virtual classroom or virtual library, a virtual army, a virtual machine, a virtual world of his computer game, and more. Virtual is three syllables – vir-tu-al, and the pronunciation of virtual is vɜrtʃuəl.
Many different languages also contain words that mean virtual. You may notice that some of these words look very similar to one another. These are called cognates. Cognates are words and phrases that look and sound similar between languages while also meaning something similar. These are often formed when two words have the same language of origin or root. This list of translations for the word virtual is provided by Word Sense.
- Polish: wirtualny
- Swedish: virtuell
- Danish: virtuel
- Dutch: virtueel
- Latin: virtualis
- Italian: virtuale
- Turkish: sanal
- Georgian: ფაქტიური
- Esperanto: virtuala
- Maori: mariko
- Hebrew: ווירטואלי
- Greek: εικονικός (masc.)
- Ukrainian: віртуальний (virtuál’nyj)
- Catalan: virtual
- Finnish: näennäinen, virtuaalinen
- Korean: 사실상의
- German: eigentlich, virtuell
- Arabic: خَيَالِيّ
- Irish: fíorúil
- French: virtuel
- Spanish: virtual
- Persian: مجازی (majāzī)
- Japanese: 仮想の (かそうの, kasō no)
- Czech: virtuální (masc.)
- Portuguese: virtual
- Bulgarian: виртуален (virtuálen)
- Walloon: forveyou (masc.)
- Russian: виртуа́льный
- Bengali: ভার্চুয়াল (varcuẇal)
What are synonyms and antonyms of virtual?
There are many different words that a person can use in place of the word virtual. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same definition as another given word or phrase. Synonyms are a great way to expand your English language vocabulary and avoid repeating yourself. This list of synonyms for the word virtual is provided by Power Thesaurus.
- cyber
- all intents and purposes
- fake
- possible
- pseudo-
- pragmatic
- unreal
- factual
- basic
- mock
- imitation
- simulated
- unacknowledged
- intrinsic
- computer-generated
- potential
- mechanized
- implicit
- semi-
- real
- realistic
- computational
- actual
- make-believe
- constructive
- substantial
- internet
- cyber-
- computerized
- pretend
- cybernetic
- artificial
- indirect
- online
- in all but name
- networked
- virtually
- fundamental
- practical
- real life
- implied
- tacit
- near
- in effect
- effective
- high-tech
- essential
- electronic
- near enough
- inferred
There are also many different words that have the opposite meaning as the word virtual. These are called antonyms, which are opposite words to synonyms. These words contain the opposite meaning of a given word or phrase. This list of antonyms for the word virtual is also provided by Power Thesaurus.
- illusory
- unlawful
- pure
- unmixed
- congested
- unofficial
- proper
- accurate
- capable of being touched
- authentic
- palpable
- contraband
- concrete
- surreal
- profound
- resolute
- inessential
- unworkable
- reliable
- precise
- unachievable
- unmistakable
- off
- clean-cut
- authoritative
- being realistic
- genuine
- copied
- tangible
- certain
- factual
- not in line with
- assertive
- unquestionable
- notional
- existent
- peremptory
- obvious
- reproduction
- unrealistic
- actual
- very
- veritable
- unreal
- fictitious
- absolute
- real
- hypothetical
- imaginary
- indefinable
What is the origin of the word virtual?
According to Etymonline, the word virtual has been used since late c14 as the Middle English virtuall to mean influencing by physical virtues or capabilities. This comes from the Medieval Latin virtualis/Medieval Latin virtuālis, and Latin virtus/Latin virtūs virtue meaning “excellence, potency, efficacy.” The literal meaning was manliness or manhood. Using the word virtual to mean “being something in essence or effect, though not actually or in fact” has occurred since mid-c15. This was probably formed via the sense of “capable of producing a certain effect,” used in early c15 Middle English. The computer sense of only existing in software and not real life has occurred since 1959.
How can the word virtual be used in a sentence?
The word virtual can be used in many different sentences in the English language. Using words in a sentence is a great way to remember their definitions. You can also try to make flashcards or quizzes for yourself to test your knowledge. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today! Below are a few different examples of the word virtual to get you started.
The measurable part of the particle they examined under the microscope on Thursday in physics class was so small it was virtually nonexistent.
He was born with so much inherent power, he was virtually a dictator by age nine. The recent corruption was coming a mile away. The angry peasants created a field of force as they stormed the castle.
Because the school was unable to enforce a mask policy, they mandated virtual learning until the last Friday of the school year to limit interactions and the agency of the material by which the disease was spread. This different implementation pleased some and angered others.
Overall, the word virtual means nearly true and as such regarded as true. It can also mean existing in software and not in real life. This word is of Latin origins.
Sources:
- virtual: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense
- Virtual synonyms – 375 Words and Phrases for Virtual | Power Thesaurus
- Virtual antonyms – 53 Opposites of Virtual | Power Thesaurus
- virtual | Origin and meaning of virtual | Online Etymology Dictionary
- Virtual definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do’s and don’ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.
Слово virtual в английском языке с конца 14 века в значении «влияющий посредством (при помощи) физических сил или возможностей, эффективный в связи с наличием врождённых природных качеств». От среднелатинского слова virtualis, которое, в свою очередь, происходит от латинского virtus «превосходство, сила, эффективность», буквально «мужество». Согласно Webster’s Word Histories, понятие virtus представляло собой «сумму превосходных качеств мужчины, включая физическую силу, доблестное поведение и нравственную порядочность». Virtus, таким образом, по существу являлся римским аналогом рыцарства. Далее от латинского vir «мужчина».
– И любую тварь / Могучей силой виртуальной (действенной) он живит, / Питает, согревает. (англ: Every kind that lives, / Fomented by his virtual power and warmed.) (Джон Мильтон, поэма «Потерянный Рай», 1667).
Вероятно, в начале 15 века смысл «способный производить определённый эффект на других» начал так заметно усиливаться, что в связи с этим больше внимания стало уделяется эффектам, а не возможностям.
Далее в середине 15 века возникает значение «быть чем-то по своей природе или действовать определённым образом, но не на самом деле и не фактически».
– Виртуальная длина есть такая воображаемая длина дороги, на которой поезд может следовать с постоянной скоростью.
С 1959 года засвидетельствовано компьютерное понимание: «как таковой физически не существующий, но смоделированный при помощи компьютерных программ так, чтобы казаться таким» или, говоря другими словами, «нереальный, но кажущийся зрителю реальным».
– Киностудия разработала виртуальные экскурсии по рабочим площадкам, где проводятся съёмки фильмов.
Относительно недавнее развитие значения: «настолько близко к чему-то, что разница не имеет значения; почти; фактически, практически» (как лингвистическое обобщение).
– Найти дешёвое жильё в этом районе практически (почти) невозможно (англ: Finding a cheap place to rent is a virtual impossibility in this area).
ЗЫ. В русском языке есть однокоренное слово, но уже, правда, историческое. В Древней Руси существовала «вира», денежный штраф за убийство свободного человека. Соответствовала древнегерманскому «вергельду» (нем: wergeld), дословно означавшему «плата за (убитого) мужа».
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WordReference Random House Learner’s Dictionary of American English © 2023 vir•tu•al /ˈvɜrtʃuəl/USA pronunciation
vir•tu•al•ly, adv. WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2023 vir•tu•al
vir′tu•al′i•ty, n. Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: virtual /ˈvɜːtʃʊəl/ adj
Etymology: 14th Century: from Medieval Latin virtuālis effective, from Latin virtūs virtue ‘virtual‘ also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations): |
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The adjective virtual is used to describe something that exists in essence but not in actuality. You may have made a virtual friend on an online gaming site, but don’t expect that person to meet you for coffee.
Although virtual can be used to describe anything that exists in effect, but not in fact, it is often used to describe things created in a computer or online world. «She enjoyed playing the virtual role-playing game with her online friends.» Virtual can also be used to mean «almost» — as in, «The blizzard brought the city to a virtual standstill, with subway and bus passengers stranded on the sidewalks.»
Definitions of virtual
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adjective
being actually such in almost every respect
“the once elegant temple lay in
virtual ruin”-
synonyms:
practical
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realistic
aware or expressing awareness of things as they really are
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realistic
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adjective
existing in essence or effect though not in actual fact
“a
virtual dependence on charity”“a
virtual revolution”“virtual reality”
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Synonyms:
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essential
basic and fundamental
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essential
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adjective
occurring, existing, or carried out over a computer network
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘virtual’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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