- having the essence or effect but not the appearance or form of: a virtual revolution
- being, relating to, or involving a virtual image: a virtual focus
- stored, operated, or conducted using computers or the internet: virtual currency, virtual shopping
- existing as a computer-generated version that resembles that thing in reality: a virtual environment, virtual worlds
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
vir•tu•al /ˈvɜrtʃuəl/USA pronunciation
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- being (the noun stated) in force or effect, though not actually or expressly such:[before a noun]They were reduced to virtual poverty.
- Computingtemporarily simulated or extended by computer software:virtual memory on a hard disk.
vir•tu•al
(vûr′cho̅o̅ əl),USA pronunciation adj.
vir′tu•al′i•ty, n.
- being such in power, force, or effect, though not actually or expressly such:a virtual dependence on charity.
- [Optics.]
- Opticsnoting an image formed by the apparent convergence of rays geometrically, but not actually, prolonged, as the image formed by a mirror (opposed to real).
- Opticsnoting a focus of a system forming virtual images.
- Computingtemporarily simulated or extended by computer software:a virtual disk in RAM; virtual memory on a hard disk.
- Medieval Latin virtuālis, equivalent. to Latin virtu(s) virtue + -ālis -al1
- Middle English 1350–1400
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
virtual /ˈvɜːtʃʊəl/ adj
'virtual' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
augmented reality
- Basque Country
- chatbot
- cybersex
- cyberspace
- exergaming
- extended reality
- Fleury
- gauge theory
- Guzmán Blanco
- memory
- metaverse
- mmorpg
- motion capture
- practical
- real-world
- standard model
- virtual human
- virtual image
- virtuality
- virtually
- virtual reality
- virtual storage
- v-mail
- VPN
- VR
- artificial reality
- clinic
- dead
- diverging lens
- moral
- principle of virtual work
- quasi
- real
- real storage
- reducing glass
- resurge
- virtual particle