technical

adjective tech·ni·cal \ ˈtek-ni-kəl \

Definition of technical

1 a :having special and usually practical knowledge especially of a mechanical or scientific subject

a technical consultant

b :marked by or characteristic of specialization

technical language

2 a :of or relating to a particular subject

b :of or relating to a practical subject organized on scientific principles

a technical school

c :technological 1

3 a :based on or marked by a strict or legal interpretation

b :legal 6

4 :of or relating to technique

5 :of, relating to, or produced by ordinary commercial processes without being subjected to special purification

technical sulfuric acid

6 :relating to or caused by the functioning of the market as a discrete mechanism not influenced by macroeconomic factors

a technical rally

—

technically

play \-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See technical defined for English-language learners

See technical defined for kids

Examples of technical in a Sentence

If you have any problems with your new computer, we offer 24-hour technical support.
I missed the first 10 minutes of the show because the network was experiencing technical difficulties .
Technical experts analyzed the data.
The film's director hired a real police officer as a technical consultant.
a pianist with good technical skills
The essay is too technical for me.
the more technical details of their research
“Cartography” is the technical name for the making of maps.
He is using the word in its technical sense.

Recent Examples of technical from the Web

Maybe you like this idea, but see obstacles like no video camera and/or inadequate technical skills?

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: Make an electronic memory of your keepsakes," 30 Aug. 2017
If anything, there are just some little technical things.

— dave melton, Post-Tribune, "Savana Chacon has 10 digs, four aces as Crown Point sweeps Lake Central," 29 Aug. 2017
Solving the vexing technical puzzles in wireless – increasing airwave efficiency, cutting interference -- requires systems-wide technologies, the company says.

— mike freeman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Clash of 2 tech titans: What Apple and Qualcomm are really fighting about," 20 Aug. 2017
A technical crew of a dozen work behind the scenes to make sure the set, props, lights and sound are all working on cue come opening night.

— angela denk, Daily Southtown, "Show goes on for Flossmoor professional theater, despite death of founding member," 18 Aug. 2017
Mont-Sainte-Anne is an infamously technical course; Atherton has won this particular race four times already.

— ashley mateo, Esquire, "You'd Have to Be Crazy to Take on the Hardest, Fastest Course in Downhill Mountain Biking," 4 Aug. 2017
At the moment, Sporting Kansas City’s coach and technical director knows the sale of Dom Dwyer for a market-shifting $1.6 million in allocation money is the biggest story around his team and Major League Soccer.

— sam mellinger, kansascity, "How & why Peter Vermes prepared for years to sell Sporting Kansas City’s best player," 4 Aug. 2017
This video is either unavailable or not supported in this browser Error Code: MEDIA_ERR_SRC_NOT_SUPPORTED Technical details : Try installing the latest version of the Adobe Flash plugin.

— jon kelly, The Hive, "Can Sessions Hold on for Dear Life?," 28 July 2017
David Mikkelson has engaged in gross financial, technical, and corporate mismanagement.

— alexis c. madrigal, The Atlantic, "Snopes Faces an Ugly Legal Battle," 24 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'technical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of technical

Greek technikos of art, skillful, from technē art, craft, skill; akin to Greek tektōn builder, carpenter, Latin texere to weave, Sanskrit takṣati he fashions

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First Known Use: 1617

See Words from the same year

technical Synonyms

Synonyms

specialized

Antonyms

general, nontechnical, untechnical

Related Words

esoteric, especial, exclusive, limited, narrow, peculiar, restricted, special, specific, unique; authoritative, expert, professional, specialist (or specialistic); technicalized

Near Antonyms

common, generalized, generic, nonexclusive, nonspecific, ordinary, overall, universal; inexpert, lay, nonprofessional, unprofessional; self-evident, self-explanatory, straightforward

technical

noun

Definition of technical

basketball

:technical foul

Knight walked to the scorer's table to continue his protest and was given the second technical and an automatic ejection from the game.
—The New York Times

Recent Examples of technical from the Web

That's crazy to be giving out that many technicals to kids.

— andrew joseph, USA TODAY, "Prep star's coach pulls team off court over refs," 8 Aug. 2017
Green stayed on the court in a game that featured three technicals on one play 3:08 before halftime.

— Washington Post, "Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry lead Warriors to NBA title," 13 June 2017
Green has stayed just on the right side of the line this postseason, not in danger of an automatic suspension for technicals or flagrant accumulation.

— creg stephenson, AL.com, "Watch NBA Finals 2017 live stream: Cavaliers vs. Warriors, Game 5, live score updates," 12 June 2017
Among the technicals, James, Dahntay Jones (from the bench), and Iman Shumpert took them for the Cavs.

— joe vardon, cleveland.com, "Cavaliers say Game 4 turned because they were mean; Warriors say they stunk," 11 June 2017
But the referees allowed him to stay in the game when an earlier technical was changed and given to head coach Steve Kerr.

— thomas oide, sacbee, "Bring back the 3-1 jokes: National media reacts to Cavs’ big win in Game 4," 10 June 2017
Thompson and Joseph were given technicals on the play.

— the associated press, New York Times, "Raptors End Cavaliers’ Postseason Win Streak," 22 May 2016

First Known Use of technical

1917

TECHNICAL Defined for Kids

technical

adjective tech·ni·cal \ ˈtek-ni-kəl \

Definition of technical for Students

1 :having special knowledge especially of a mechanical or scientific subject

a technical expert

2 :relating to a practical or scientific subject

a technical book on electronics

3 :according to a strict explanation of the rules or facts

a technical knockout in boxing

—

technically

adverb

Medical Dictionary

technical

adjective tech·ni·cal \ ˈtek-ni-kəl \

medical Definition of technical

1 a :marked by or characteristic of specialization

b :of or relating to a special field or subject

2 :of or relating to technique

a surgeon with great technical skill

3 :of, relating to, or produced by ordinary commercial processes without being subjected to special purification

technical sulfuric acid

—

technically

play \-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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