virtual reality
noun
a realistic and immersive simulation of a three-dimensional environment, created using interactive software and hardware, and experienced or controlled by movement of the body. Abbreviation: VR
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
virtual human, virtual image, virtual machine, virtual memory, virtual particle, virtual reality, virtual storage, virtuality, virtualize, virtually, virtue
Origin of virtual reality
First recorded in 1980–85
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for virtual reality
Douglas Rushkoff on Internet-driven ADD, virtual-reality delusions, and how computers changed how you think.
I watched as Bailenson had a subject sit in a chair and experience a virtual-reality simulation of herself eating food.
British Dictionary definitions for virtual reality
virtual reality
noun
a computer-generated environment that, to the person experiencing it, closely resembles realityAbbreviation: VR See also virtual (def. 4)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Science definitions for virtual reality
virtual reality
A computer simulation of a real or imaginary world or scenario, in which a user may interact with simulated objects or living things in real time. More sophisticated virtual reality systems place sensors on the user's body to sense movements that are then interpreted by the system as movements in the simulated world; binocular goggles are sometimes used to simulate the appearance of objects in three dimensions.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Culture definitions for virtual reality
virtual reality
The creation of images and tactile sensations by means of a computer, producing the illusion of reality. Images are often projected onto special goggles to strengthen the illusion. (See cyberspace.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.