Dictionary

technically en · ADV

Pronunciation

• /ˈtɛk.nɪˌkəl.i/
• /ˈtɛk.nɪˌkli/
• /ˈtɛk.nəˌkli/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree English technical Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly English -ly English technically From technical + -ly.

Meanings

1. Based on precise facts, which, however, may be contrary to common belief or casual terminology.
   • Technically, a guinea pig is not a pig, nor is it from Guinea.
   • Mary Slessor wasn’t technically the first missionary to oppose twin killing in Calabar, but she was unquestionably the most effective and relentless. 2025 November 25, Segun Dukeh, “Who Stopped the Killing of Twins in Nigeria?”, in The Guardian:
   • Near-synonym: stricto sensu
   • Technically, he was Canadian, but everyone assumed he was American.
2. Based on formal (de jure) arguments, which, however, may be misleading.
   • Due to an omission in the peace treaty of the Russo-Japanese War, Montenegro was technically at war with Japan for 102 years.
   • Number 1.0 [the head bureaucrat of a legion of bureaucrats]: Bureaucrat Conrad, you are technically correct — the best kind of correct. I hereby promote you to grade 37. 2000, Bill Odenkirk, How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back (Futurama), season 2, episode 11, spoken by Number 1.0, 20th Century Fox:
   • Stalin was not technically the Head of State.
   • "I warned you not to gaze upon my grand godson with that spell. I warned you it would not work properly. Granted, you couldn't hear me then any more than you can now, and you'd never met Tedd, but I diiiid technically say it!" 2014 July 14, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Monday, Jul 14, 2014:
   • technically correct
   • For the Japanese, however, it's easier to summarize what is still afloat. Nagato, Kongō, and Haruna are technically still afloat, but all three are quite clearly on their way to the bottom. 2021 May 5, Drachinifel, 45:02 from the start, in Battle of Samar - What if TF34 was there?, archived from the original on 19 Aug 2022:
3. In terms of technique.
   • In Choosing Children one literally feels as if one were entering the lives of these parents and feels welcomed as they share their experiences with us openly and generously. Technically, this effect is enhanced by the straightforward camera work. 1984 December 8, Ellen Grabiner, “A Candid Portrait of Choosing Children”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 21, page 10:
   • Although she is technically gifted, her piano playing lacks passion.
4. In a technical (involving specialized knowledge) way.
   • The ladies were not much the wiser, though, I confess, they were not far removed from the door. The great men inside talked indistinctly and technically, and once Doctor Dillon was so unfeeling as to crack a joke […] 1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:
5. According to the current state of technology.
   • For now, it is technically impossible to have a manned flight to Mercury.

Forms

Coordinates

practically · for all practical purposes · de facto

Deriveds

nontechnically

Synonyms

techniquewise · technologically · stricto sensu

Translations (104)

he טכנית (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · ja 法律上の (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · pt tecnicamente (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · th ทั้ง (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · hy դե յուրե (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · hu műszaki/technikai szempontból (according to the current state of technology) · fi teknisesti (according to the current state of technology) · cmn 嚴格來說 /严格来说 (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · cmn 在技術上 /在技术上 (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · gl de jure (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · cy yn dechnolegol (according to the current state of technology) · gl de dereito (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · sv tekniskt (according to the current state of technology) · pt de jure (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · ca tècnicament (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · hu elvileg (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · no teknisk (according to the current state of technology) · hu műszakilag (according to the current state of technology) · fr techniquement (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · cmn 在專業上 /在专业上 (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · hu névlegesen (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · es en realidad (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · cy yn ffurfiol (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · cy yn benodol (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · th วิชาการ (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · ja デ・ジュリ (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · sv tekniskt (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · it tecnicamente (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · ja 厳密に (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · fi lain mukaan (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · es de hecho (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · fi laillisesti (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · hu szigorúan véve (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · es técnicamente (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · hu elméletileg (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · fr de jure (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · tr teknik yönden (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · ru со́бственно (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · ru номинально (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · cy yn dechnegol (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · nl technisch (according to the current state of technology) · hu formailag (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · hu névleg (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · cy yn dechnegol (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · pl de iure (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · pl technicznie (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · ru техни́чески (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · no teknisk (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · sv egentligen (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · nl technisch (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · it tecnicamente (according to the current state of technology) · el αυτοδικαίως (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · pl właściwie (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · ar أَصْلًا (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · ru что́бы быть то́чным (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · nl technisch gesproken (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · ca de iure (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · sv de jure (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · ru Russian: формально (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · el εκ του νόμου (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · de technisch (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · de fachlich (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · cmn 法律意义上的 (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · de nach dem Stand der Technik (according to the current state of technology) · ru стро́го говоря́ (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · pt tecnicamente (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · bg техни́чески (according to the current state of technology) · he טכנית (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · hu technikailag (according to the current state of technology) · de de jure (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · ca tècnicament (according to the current state of technology) · it veramente (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · hu szakmailag (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · bg техни́чески (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · de genau genommen (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · pt na realidade (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · no teknisk sett (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · nl strikt genomen (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · eo teĥnike (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · hu hivatalosan (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · fi teknisesti (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · el ντε γιούρε (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · af tegnies (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · cy yn ffurfiol (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · fi de jure (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · hu jogilag (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · fr de droit (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · it tecnicamente (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · ca tècnicament (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · es técnicamente (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · ms sebenarnya (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · fr techniquement (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · ko 이론적(理論的)으로 (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · eo vere (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · eo teknike (having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession) · de eigentlich (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · fi tosiasiallisesti (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · fr techniquement (according to the current state of technology) · ko 이론상 (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · pl wedle prawa (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · de technisch (according to the current state of technology) · fi oikeasti (based on precise facts, which however may be contrary to common misbelief or to a traditional name) · hu elvben (based on formal (de jure) arguments, which however may be misleading) · ru техни́чески (according to the current state of technology)