- 1almost; very nearly synonym virtually The theater was practically empty. I meet famous people practically every day. My essay is practically finished now. With that crack in it, the vase is worth practically nothing. There's practically no difference between the two options. Which Word?almost / nearly / practicallyThese three words have similar meanings and are used frequently with the following words:
almost ~ nearly ~ practically ~ certainly (numbers) all all all every every always no entirely every nothing impossible finished impossible empty died anything - They are used in positive sentences:She almost/nearly/practically missed her train.They can be used before words like all, every, and everybody:Nearly all the students have bikes. I’ve got practically every CD they’ve made.Practically is used more in spoken than in written English. Nearly is the most common with numbers:There were nearly 200 people at the meeting.They can also be used in negative sentences but it is more common to make a positive sentence with barely:We barely made it in time.(or:We almost/nearly didn’t make it in time.)
- Almost and practically can be used before words like any, anybody, anything, etc.:I’ll eat almost anything.You can also use them before no, nobody, never, etc. but it is much more common to use hardly with any, anybody, ever, etc.:She’s hardly ever in.(or:She’s almost never in.)
- Almost can be used when you are saying that one thing is similar to another:The boat looked almost like a toy.
- 2in a realistic or sensible way; in real situations Practically speaking, we can't afford it. It sounds like a good idea, but I don't think it will work practically.
Check pronunciation: practically