physically

American  

[fiz-ik-lee] / ˈfɪz ɪk li /

adverb

1. relating to the body or its appearance.

   He is not physically attractive.

2. according to what exists in the physical world as perceived by the senses.

   It's not physically possible because of the laws of gravity.

3. 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

"I'm not even joking, I could physically see my shirt moving from my heartbeat," he says.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

The war led the market to question what happens when Brent-linked barrels can’t physically move, Germini added — and the answer is that “buyers rotate fast toward benchmarks and grades that can move.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

One challenge is that piezoelectric resonators physically vibrate, which means they cannot be attached to circuit boards using standard soldering techniques.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026

Keeping a home warm was physically exhausting, and involved exposure to smoke and fire safety risks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Though it is a strange concept physically, it is the predictive power of the equations that interests scientists, rather than their comprehensibility—and an extra six dimensions do not constitute an insurmountable problem, mathematically.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• palpably
• substantially