virtual
/ˈvɜːtʃuəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈvɜːrtʃuəl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈvər-chə-wəl -chəl; ˈvərch-wəl/ (ame, mw)
virtual — adjective
- virtualpositive
- more virtualcomparative
- most virtualsuperlative
1. almost but not completely what is described, so that you can treat it as if it a
almost but not completely what is described, so that you can treat it as if it already were that thing.
Constanza's coffee shop held a virtual monopoly on local trade after three years.
collocation: virtual monopoly
Passing the final exam became a virtual impossibility for Minho after his long illness.
collocation: virtual impossibility
After an excellent semester, it was a virtual certainty that Niran would get top marks.
Harper's years of experience made the success of the project a virtual guarantee.
文法句型
virtual + noun
用法筆記
Predominantly used before the noun it modifies (attributive position). Common in fixed noun phrases such as 'virtual monopoly', 'virtual certainty', and 'virtual impossibility'. Do not use this sense to refer to computer technology — that meaning belongs to senses 2 and 3.
常見錯誤
2. created by computer software so that it looks and feels like a real 3D place or
created by computer software so that it looks and feels like a real 3D place or object, even though it is not physically there.
Zola explored a virtual forest where the trees moved gently in the wind.
collocation: virtual forest / virtual world
The students put on headsets to walk through a virtual model of ancient Rome.
collocation: virtual model of [place]
In the training simulation, Leo's virtual patient showed symptoms of a rare heart condition.
Cole designed a virtual tour of the city for people who cannot travel easily.
文法句型
virtual + noun
be + virtual
用法筆記
Often used in compound nouns such as 'virtual reality' and 'virtual world'. Can be used both directly before a noun ('a virtual environment') and after a linking verb ('the experience was virtual'). This sense focuses on the immersive, simulated quality of the experience, not on whether it happens over a network — for internet-based activities, see sense 3.
常見錯誤
3. happening or done through the internet rather than in a physical place where peo
happening or done through the internet rather than in a physical place where people meet; used for activities, events, and services that take place over computer networks instead of face-to-face.
Sahil attended a virtual conference from his home office in Taipei.
collocation: virtual conference
The yoga class went virtual during the rainy season, with students joining from home.
phrasal pattern: go + virtual
Nadia's virtual assistant scheduled her meetings and replied to simple emails.
A virtual classroom allows students from different countries to study together online.
- in-person
involving people physically present at the same location
- face-to-face
people interacting directly in the same physical space
文法句型
virtual + noun
go + virtual
be + virtual
用法筆記
Very common in compound nouns for activities that traditionally took place in person: 'virtual meeting', 'virtual classroom', 'virtual event'. Can be used predictively ('the conference was virtual') and is often paired with 'go' to describe a switch from in-person to online format ('the school went virtual'). This is the most accessible sense of 'virtual' for lower-level learners.