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

The Christmas season is technically over, but that doesn’t mean the sales have disappeared. —Brittany Vanderbill, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Dec. 2025

While the film doesn’t technically qualify as a nature documentary, the shots of the three pets crossing the Sierra Nevada make for some solid cinematography. —Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025

Kennedy technically has broad authority in setting vaccine policy, says Dorit Reiss, a law professor at the University of California, San Francisco whose research focuses on legal and policy issues related to vaccines. —Maria Godoy, NPR, 26 Dec. 2025

Unlike Thanksgiving football games, which technically predates the NFL itself to 1920 and are a yearly tradition, annual football games on Christmas are relatively new. —Jacqueline Weiss, PEOPLE, 25 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

technical entry 1 + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

1675, in the meaning defined at sense 2