Etymology

From practical +‎ -lyCategory:English terms suffixed with -ly (adverbial)#PRACTICALLY.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɹæktɪk(ə)li/Category:English 4-syllable words#PRACTICALLYCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#PRACTICALLY

• Audio (US):

  (file)

  Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#PRACTICALLY
• Hyphenation: prac‧ti‧cal‧ly

Adverb

practically (comparative more practically, superlative most practically)Category:English lemmas#PRACTICALLYCategory:English adverbs#PRACTICALLYCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#PRACTICALLYCategory:Pages with entries#PRACTICALLYCategory:Pages with 1 entry#PRACTICALLY

1. In practice; in effect or in actuality, though possibly not officially, technically, or legally.

   Synonyms: de facto, effectively

   Coordinate term: de jure

   Stalin was not technically or legally the head of state but was practically so.Category:English terms with usage examples#PRACTICALLY

   • 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:

     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.

     Category:English terms with quotations#PRACTICALLY

2. Almost completely; almost entirely.

   Near-synonyms: effectively, nearly, virtually

   He was practically uneducated, barely able to read and write a simple sentence.Category:English terms with usage examples#PRACTICALLY

   • 1898, E[merson] Hough, “The Round-Up”, in The Story of the Cowboy‎, New York: D. Appleton and Company, page 153:

     If the ranchero had practically all the water near him, he had also practically all the cattle, […]

     Category:English terms with quotations#PRACTICALLY

   • 1969, Robert Farrar Capon, “Living Water”, in The Supper of the Lamb: A Culinary Reflection:

     The turnip is one of the lordliest vegetables in the world; its broth is practically a soup in itself.

     Category:English terms with quotations#PRACTICALLY

   • 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 6 July 2023:

     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.

     Category:English terms with quotations#PRACTICALLY

3. With respect to practices or a practice.

   He wasn't very good with words or numbers; he was more of a practically minded personCategory:English terms with usage examples#PRACTICALLY

   He was practically educated and lacked theoretical depth.Category:English terms with usage examples#PRACTICALLY

4. In a way that is practical: feasibly; unchallengingly.

   Synonym: practicably

   Coordinate term: easily

   practically achievableCategory:English terms with usage examples#PRACTICALLY