1.
Practically means almost, but not completely or exactly.
He’d known the old man ~ all his life...
I know people who find it ~ impossible to give up smoking.
= almost
ADV: ADV with group/cl
2.
You use ~ to describe something which involves real actions or events rather than ideas or theories.
The course is more ~ based than the Masters degree...
? theoretically
ADV: ADV adj/-ed