Virtually

Virtually is an English adverb with two main functions. In everyday use, it means almost or nearly, the sense of an approximation or near-completeness. Phrases like “virtually every student” or “virtually impossible” illustrate this meaning, where the term signals that something is close to the stated condition but not necessarily exact. This intensifying sense developed from the adjective virtual, by adding the standard -ly suffix to form an adverb.

The second major sense arises in computing and information technology. Here, virtually describes something that exists in a simulated or non-physical form, or is achieved through virtualization. It is used to refer to software-defined environments, simulations, or devices that operate as if they were real but are not physically present. For example, virtual machines, virtual reality, and other “virtual” contexts rely on this sense of the term to distinguish between actual hardware and its software-based counterpart. In technical writing, virtually helps to indicate that an implementation or experience is provided by software or a computer environment rather than by the physical world.

Etymology traces virtually to the adjective virtual, from Late Latin virtualis, meaning having power or potential, through Old French virtuel, with the sense of “in reality though not in name” that later extended to “for practical purposes.” The adverbial form arose through the familiar English pattern of adding -ly to adjectives. In contemporary usage, context usually clarifies whether virtually means “almost” or “in a computer-generated sense.”