Dictionary

practically en · ADV

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.k(ə.)li/

Etymology

Etymology tree English practical Middle English -ly English -ly English practically From practical + -ly.

Meanings

1. In practice; in effect or in actuality, though possibly not officially, technically, or legally.
   • It is true that the Articles of the [Argentine] Constitution promise fair conditions under which to live; but, unfortunately, the self-same Constitution, in the hands of unscrupulous administrators, becomes so elastic as to be practically a dead letter. 1893, C. E. Akers, “The Argentine Position”, in Argentine, Patagonian, and Chilian Sketches, with a Few Notes on Uruguay., London: Harrison and Sons, page 12:
   • Stalin was not technically or legally the head of state but was practically so.
2. Almost completely; almost entirely.
   • He was practically uneducated, barely able to read and write a simple sentence.
   • If the ranchero had practically all the water near him, he had also practically all the cattle, […] 1898, E[merson] Hough, “The Round-Up”, in The Story of the Cowboy, New York: D. Appleton and Company, page 153:
   • The turnip is one of the lordliest vegetables in the world; its broth is practically a soup in itself. 1969, Robert Farrar Capon, “Living Water”, in The Supper of the Lamb: A Culinary Reflection:
   • Near-synonyms: effectively, nearly, virtually
   • The first summer on record that melts practically all of the Arctic’s floating sea ice could occur as early as the 2030s, according to a new scientific study — about a decade sooner than researchers previously predicted. 2023 June 6, Raymond Zhong, “Arctic Summer Could Be Practically Sea-Ice-Free by the 2030s”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 06 Jul 2023:
3. With respect to practices or a practice.
   • He wasn't very good with words or numbers; he was more of a practically minded person
   • He was practically educated and lacked theoretical depth.
4. In a way that is practical: feasibly; unchallengingly.
   • practically achievable

Forms

Antonyms

impractically

Coordinates

de jure · easily

Synonyms

de facto · as much as · effectively · effectively · virtually · practicably · nearly · all but

Translations (34)

fi käytännöllisesti katsoen (almost completely) · de praktisch (In practice, in effect) · fr pratiquement (In practice, in effect) · hu gyakorlatilag (In practice, in effect) · cmn 事實上 /事实上 (In practice, in effect) · sv i praktiken (In practice, in effect) · nn praktisk talt (almost completely) · pl niemal (almost completely) · fr quasiment (almost completely) · hy փաստորեն (In practice, in effect) · fi käytännössä (In practice, in effect) · hy համարյա (almost completely) · pl bez mała (almost completely) · ca pràcticament (In practice, in effect) · bg фактически (almost completely) · pl prawie (almost completely) · ca pràcticament (almost completely) · ar عَمَلِيًّا (In practice, in effect) · es prácticamente (In practice, in effect) · sv praktiskt taget (almost completely) · fi lähes (almost completely) · ru практи́чески (In practice, in effect) · fi käytännöllisesti katsottuna (In practice, in effect) · es prácticamente (almost completely) · nb praktisk talt (almost completely) · fr pratiquement (almost completely) · fi käytännöllisesti katsoen (In practice, in effect) · pl praktycznie (In practice, in effect) · eo preskaŭ (almost completely) · sv så gott som (almost completely) · bg практически (In practice, in effect) · bg почти (almost completely) · ca gairebé (almost completely) · uk практи́чно (In practice, in effect)