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

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have been married for a little over three months, so that’s technically still the honeymoon period, right? — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 11 Oct. 2026

But don’t count out the Fords at Charlotte, a racetrack that is technically an intermediate track but has the feel of a speedway. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 Oct. 2026

In this case, that’s Haddad’s uncle Charlie (played by a bubbling Jonathan Raviv), who is technically his father’s first cousin, but is also — crucially and non-derogatorily — very much a fairy. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026

The step is an almost vertical 40-meter bottleneck, and the most technically challenging part of the climb. — Helen Regan, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

technical entry 1 + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

1675, in the meaning defined at sense 2