Meanings
plural virtual realities
- countableuncountablecomputingA computer technology that simulates a real or imagined environment so that the user can interact with it as if physically present.
- broadlycountabledateduncountableA text adventure or multi-user dungeon.
In the virtual reality, text is all there is. If you see `Blackbriar chuckles.' then that is the closest you're going to get to a real chuckle in this environment.
1993 April 7, Blackbriar, “Re: Invisibility, "MOOrape"”, in parcftp.xerox.com/pub/MOO/contrib/mail mailing list1 more example
When a player like Shotton's interviewee controls a persona in a MUA and becomes absorbed to such an extent that he is oblivious to the real world, concentrating only on the virtual reality, then the player and his persona fuse; he 'becomes' his persona in that MUA. As far as the player is concerned, things are happening not to the persona but to he himself. He can do things that are impossible in the real world, and be whoever he wants to be. That's the attraction.
1990 December 28, Richard Bartle, Interactive Multi-User Computer Games - countableobsoleteuncountableSomething conjectured which is effectively coming into existence.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Frenchréalité virtuelle
- Englishvirtual reality
Calque of French réalité virtuelle. virtual + reality
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans skynwerklikheid
- skynwerklikheidvirtual reality
Arabic وَاقِع اِفْتِرَاضِيّ, حَقِيقَة ظَاهِرِيَّة
- وَاقِع اِفْتِرَاضِيّ (wāqiʕ iftirāḍiyy)virtual reality
- حَقِيقَة ظَاهِرِيَّةvirtual reality
Basque errealitate birtual
- errealitate birtualvirtual reality
Bengali অপ্রকৃত বাস্তবতা
- অপ্রকৃত বাস্তবতা (oprokrito bastobota)virtual reality
Bulgarian виртуална реалност
- виртуална реалност (virtualna realnost)virtual reality
Catalan realitat virtual
- realitat virtualvirtual reality
Chinese Cantonese 虛擬實境 /虚拟实境, 虛擬現實 /虚拟现实
- 虛擬實境 /虚拟实境 (heoi¹ ji⁵ sat⁶ ging²,heoi¹ ji⁴ sat⁶ ging²)virtual reality
- 虛擬現實 /虚拟现实 (heoi¹ ji⁵ jin⁶ sat⁶,heoi¹ ji⁴ jin⁶ sat⁶)virtual reality
Chinese Mandarin 虛擬實境 /虚拟实境, 虛擬現實 /虚拟现实
- 虛擬實境 /虚拟实境 (xūnǐ shíjìng)virtual reality
- 虛擬現實 /虚拟现实 (xūnǐ xiànshí)virtual reality
Czech virtuální realita
- virtuální realitavirtual reality
Dutch virtual reality, virtuele werkelijkheid
- virtual realityvirtual reality
- virtuele werkelijkheidvirtual reality
Esperanto virtuala realo, virtuala realeco
- virtuala realovirtual reality
- virtuala realecovirtual reality
Estonian virtuaalreaalsus
- virtuaalreaalsusvirtual reality
Finnish virtuaalitodellisuus
- virtuaalitodellisuusvirtual reality
French réalité virtuelle
- réalité virtuellevirtual reality
German virtuelle Realität
- virtuelle Realitätvirtual reality
Greek εικονική πραγματικότητα
- εικονική πραγματικότητα (eikonikí pragmatikótita)virtual reality
Hebrew מציאות מדומה
- מציאות מדומהvirtual reality
Hindi आभासी यथार्थ, आभासी वास्तविकता
- आभासी यथार्थ (ābhāsī yathārth)virtual reality
- आभासी वास्तविकता (ābhāsī vāstaviktā)virtual reality
Hungarian virtuális valóság
- virtuális valóságvirtual reality
Icelandic sýndarveruleiki
- sýndarveruleikivirtual reality
Indonesian realitas virtual, realitas maya
- realitas virtualvirtual reality
- realitas mayavirtual reality
Irish réaltacht fhíorúil
- réaltacht fhíorúilvirtual reality
Italian realtà virtuale
- realtà virtualevirtual reality
Japanese 仮想現実, バーチャルリアリティ
- 仮想現実 (kasō genjitsu)virtual reality
- バーチャルリアリティ (bācharu riaritī)virtual reality
- 人工現実感 (jinkō genjitsukan)virtual reality
Korean 가상현실
- 가상현실 (gasanghyeonsil)virtual reality
Latin realitas virtualis
- realitas virtualisvirtual reality
Latvian virtuālā realitāte
- virtuālā realitātevirtual reality
Lithuanian virtuali realybė
- virtuali realybėvirtual reality
Malay realiti maya, رياليتي ماي
- realiti mayavirtual reality
- رياليتي ماي (rialiti maya)virtual reality
- kenyataan mayavirtual reality
Norwegian kunstig virkelighet
- kunstig virkelighetvirtual reality
Persian واقعیت مجازی
- واقعیت مجازیvirtual reality
Polish rzeczywistość wirtualna
- rzeczywistość wirtualnavirtual reality
Portuguese realidade virtual
- realidade virtualvirtual reality
Punjabi ਆਭਾਸੀ ਅਸਲੀਅਤ
- ਆਭਾਸੀ ਅਸਲੀਅਤ (ābhāsī asalīata)virtual reality
Romanian realitate virtuală
- realitate virtualăvirtual reality
Russian виртуа́льная реа́льность
- виртуа́льная реа́льность (virtuálʹnaja reálʹnostʹ)virtual reality
Slovak virtuálna realita
- virtuálna realitavirtual reality
Spanish realidad virtual
- realidad virtualvirtual reality
Swedish virtuell verklighet
- virtuell verklighetvirtual reality
Tamil தோற்ற மெய்ம்மை
- தோற்ற மெய்ம்மை (tōṟṟa meymmai)virtual reality
Thai ความเป็นจริงเสมือน
- ความเป็นจริงเสมือนvirtual reality
Turkish sanal gerçeklik
- sanal gerçeklikvirtual reality
Ukrainian віртуа́льна реа́льність
- віртуа́льна реа́льність (virtuálʹna reálʹnistʹ)virtual reality
Urdu بصری حقیقت
- بصری حقیقتvirtual reality
Vietnamese thực tế ảo
- thực tế ảovirtual reality
Cite this entry
virtual reality. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/virtual%20reality
“virtual reality.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/virtual%20reality. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “virtual reality,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/virtual%20reality.
Source: virtual reality on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.