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Synonyms

high-tech

American  
[hahy-tek] / ˈhaɪˈtɛk /
Informal, hi-tech

noun

  1. high technology.

  2. a style of interior design using industrial, commercial, and institutional fixtures, equipment, and materials, as metal warehouse shelving, factory lamps, and exposed pipes, or incorporating other elements having the stark, utilitarian appearance characteristic of industrial design.

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or suggesting high technology.

high tech British  

noun

  1. a variant spelling of hi tech

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
high-tech 1 Cultural  

  1. Short for “high technology”; the term describes industries and firms that use or produce advanced technology, especially in electronics.

high-tech 2 Cultural  

  1. A descriptive term for industry heavily dependent on recent laboratory discoveries. Manufacturing computers is a typical high-tech industry.

Etymology

Origin of high-tech

First recorded in 1970–75; by shortening

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.

"Our analysis of nearly 10,000 patients reveals that simple, accessible therapies like knee bracing and water-based exercise outperform high-tech options like ultrasound. This could reshape clinical guidelines to focus on safer, lower-cost interventions."

From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026

Cielo achieved his time in 2009 during a period when a number of records were set by swimmers wearing high-tech suits, which have since been banned, that were designed to reduce friction through the water.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Xiaomi entered China's highly competitive EV market in 2024, aiming to win over buyers with a range of high-tech features.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Rare earths, the processing of which China dominates, are used in a lot of high-tech and military applications and have been a particular emphasis of the Trump administration.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

The plane's high-tech cameras generated a bonanza of intelligence, like nothing the CIA had ever seen.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

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.