physically
Americanadverb
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relating to the body or its appearance.
He is not physically attractive.
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according to what exists in the physical world as perceived by the senses.
It's not physically possible because of the laws of gravity.
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in a way that involves rough body contact or strenuous physical activity: a physically demanding sport.
a physically abusive spouse;
a physically demanding sport.
Etymology
Origin of physically
First recorded in 1580–90; physical ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This group is known to have health volunteer bias and tends to be more physically active than the general UK population, which means the results may not apply equally to everyone.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
After coming through his opening match with little fuss, the questions then turned to how Alcaraz would pull up physically two days later.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Lower-income workers, who may have physically demanding jobs they can’t continue to do will into their 60s, and women, who have longer life expectancies than men, are locked into lower benefits “for life,” he added.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
“But then you physically get someone in front of the machine. That’s all you really have to do.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
He felt physically sick at the mere thought of it all.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
