visually

American  

[vizh-oo-uh-lee] / ˈvɪʒ u ə li /

adverb

1. in a visual manner; with respect to sight; by sight.

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Etymology

Origin of visually

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; visual, -ly

Explanation

The adverb visually means "related to the sense of sight." For a kids' book to be visually interesting, it has to have illustrations to look at, and not just words. If a person is visually impaired, their ability to see is limited. And if an art exhibit is visually overwhelming, there's just too much for your eyes to take in at once. A critic who describes a movie as "visually stunning" simply means it's very nice to look at. Visually comes from the adjective visual and its Latin root, videre, "to see."

Example Sentences

The result is a highly detailed model that not only impresses visually but also contributes to scientific understanding.

From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026

Today, Cosm is using its experience in display tech software to bring live sports and visually augmented movie presentations to LED screens, which have largely taken over from projector systems.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

"I think we took novels to the next level, we took writing to the next level, because we're talking to people's imagination visually," he says.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

His best-known series of sculptures, “Future Relics,” is visually arresting, featuring crumbling, ruin-like replicas of everyday objects including cameras, phones and CD players.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Except that Volpe has decided he prefers a pear; visually, he likes the shape better, and a pear seems like something the wealthy Hardy family would eat.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Related Words

• visibly