technically
adv/ˈtɛk.nɪˌkəl.i/ · /ˈtɛk.nɪˌkli/
Etymology From technical + -ly.
1
Based on precise facts, which, however, may be contrary to common belief or casual terminology.
- Near-synonym: stricto sensu
- Technically, he was Canadian, but everyone assumed he was American.
2 more examples
- 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:
2
Based on formal (de jure) arguments, which, however, may be misleading.
- technically correct
- Due to an omission in the peace treaty of the Russo-Japanese War, Montenegro was technically at war with Japan for 102 years.
4 more examples
- Stalin was not technically the Head of State.
- 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:
- "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:
- 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.
- Although she is technically gifted, her piano playing lacks passion.
- 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:
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.
- Derived terms
- nontechnically