technically

adverb

tech·​ni·​cal·​ly ˈtek-ni-k(ə-)lē 

1

: with regard to or in accordance with a strict or literal interpretation of something (such as a rule, a term, or an official description or designation)

What they're doing is technically illegal.

Technically, a tomato is a fruit.

Terry-Thomas's character gives a splendid display of gamesmanship in a tennis match that he wins unfairly without technically cheating.

—Tim Stanley

The business happens to be in Woodside, N.Y., in the borough of Queens, which technically isn't part of Long Island …

—Paul R. Martin

While she wasn't technically beautiful, she was striking.

—Sue Grafton

2

: with regard to technology

a more technically advanced vehicle

a technically feasible solution

Looking through the telescope via computer from, say, your office is now technically possible …

—Aubrey Wallace

3

: with regard to technique (as in a performance or movement)

a technically flawless gymnastic routine

musicians learning to play a technically difficult passage

… he is a resourceful, technically polished actor …

—Michael Goodwin

Hagen's awareness that his own method of hitting the ball could be improved had earlier helped him make his swing more technically sound …

—Herbert Warren Wind

Examples of technically in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His work in that decade, especially the first three Carter albums and the mixtapes released between 2005’s Tha Carter II and 2008’s Tha Carter III, pulled an entire culture into orbit around his tics, his taste in production and vocal processing, even his most technically and formally daring music. —Pitchfork, 6 June 2025

The first two segments would technically come first chronologically, predating 2022’s Prey by a couple hundred years. —Keith Langston, People.com, 6 June 2025

The nations on the Korean peninsula are still technically at war and have been since an armistice marked the end of the Korean War in 1953. —Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025

Though technically legal under federal law, their effects closely mirror those of recreational cannabis, which is still banned at the federal level. —Dario Sabaghi, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

technical entry 1 + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

1675, in the meaning defined at sense 2