Adverb
1. (intensifier before a figurative expression) without exaggeration;
"our eyes were literally pinned to TV during the Gulf war"2. in essence or effect but not in fact;
"the strike virtually paralyzed the city""I'm virtually broke"3. (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; `near' is sometimes used informally for `nearly' and `most' is sometimes used informally for `almost';
"the job is (just) about done""the baby was almost asleep when the alarm sounded""we're almost finished""the car all but ran her down""he nearly fainted""talked for nigh onto 2 hours""the recording is well-nigh perfect""virtually all the parties signed the contract""I was near exhausted by the run""most everyone agrees"