technical

[tek-ni-kuh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR technical ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

belonging or pertaining to an art, science, or the like: technical skill.

peculiar to or characteristic of a particular art, science, profession, trade, etc.: technical details.

using terminology or treating subject matter in a manner peculiar to a particular field, as a writer or a book: a technical report.

skilled in or familiar in a practical way with a particular art, trade, etc., as a person.

of, relating to, or showing technique.

technically demanding or difficult: a technical violin sonata; a technical ski run.

designed or used for technically demanding sports or other activities: technical apparel.

pertaining to or connected with the mechanical or industrial arts and the applied sciences: a technical school.

so considered from a point of view in accordance with a stringent interpretation of the rules: a military engagement ending in a technical defeat.

concerned with or dwelling on technicalities: You're getting too technical for me.

noting a market in which prices are determined largely by supply and demand and other such internal factors rather than by general business, economic, or psychological factors that influence market activity: technical weakness or strength.

Origin of technical

First recorded in 1610–20; technic + -al¹

Related formstech·ni·cal·ly, adverbtech·ni·cal·ness, nounhy·per·tech·ni·cal, adjectivehy·per·tech·ni·cal·ly, adverbhy·per·tech·ni·cal·ness, nounnon·tech·ni·cal, adjectivenon·tech·ni·cal·ly, adverbnon·tech·ni·cal·ness, nouno·ver·tech·ni·cal, adjectiveo·ver·tech·ni·cal·ly, adverbpre·tech·ni·cal, adjectivepre·tech·ni·cal·ly, adverbqua·si-tech·ni·cal, adjectivequa·si-tech·ni·cal·ly, adverbun·tech·ni·cal, adjectiveun·tech·ni·cal·ly, adverb

Can be confusedtechnical technological

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for technical

industrial, scientific, scholarly, mechanical, professional, specialized, special, technological, vocational, high-tech, abstruse, occupational, restricted, methodological

Examples from the Web for technical

Contemporary Examples of technical

Several times, either because they forgot or they had a technical problem, they connected directly, and we could see them.
Was Sony Hit With a Second Hack?
Shane Harris
January 8, 2015
This was achieved only by a relentless program of technical advances.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?
Clive Irving
January 4, 2015
Good intelligence comes when multiple sources and types (human, technical, open) of information are pulled together.
CIA Agents Assess: How Real Is ‘Homeland’?
Chuck Cogan, John MacGaffin
December 15, 2014
But these were technical solutions and unlikely to inspire protests alone.
Sharpton Recalls Civil Rights Struggle in DC March Against Police Violence
Ben Jacobs
December 13, 2014
There, Wynd confesses that he had spent the night sleeping on the floor, after a technical glitch was discovered around midnight.
Dodo Bones and Kylie’s Poo: Inside London’s Strangest New Museum
Liza Foreman
November 11, 2014

Historical Examples of technical

But this is abnormal and rather an affectation of technical skill.
The Dramatic Values in Plautus
Wilton Wallace Blancke
"Only technical ones for which I could have no possible use," said Linda.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter
Clearly their constancy to this metre was not the result of any technical deficiency.
The Lyric
John Drinkwater
The most solemn of all realities have been degraded into the passwords of technical theology.
Bunyan
James Anthony Froude
This power, however, is not given by any technical rules, but is the gift of genius.
Phaedrus
Plato

British Dictionary definitions for technical

technical

adjective

of, relating to, or specializing in industrial, practical, or mechanical arts and applied sciencesa technical institute

skilled in practical and mechanical arts rather than theoretical or abstract thinking

relating to or characteristic of a particular field of activitythe technical jargon of linguistics

existing by virtue of a strict application of the rules or a strict interpretation of the wordinga technical loophole in the law; a technical victory

of, derived from, or showing techniquetechnical brilliance

(of a financial market) having prices determined by internal speculative or manipulative factors rather than by general or economic conditionsa technical rally

Derived Formstechnically, adverbtechnicalness, noun

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

Word Origin and History for technical

adj.

1610s, "skilled in a particular art or subject," formed in English from Greek tekhnikos "of art," from tekhne "art, skill, craft" (see techno-). The sense narrowed to "having to do with the mechanical arts" (1727). Basketball technical foul (one which does not involve contact between opponents) is recorded from 1934. Boxing technical knock-out (one in which the loser is not knocked out) is recorded from 1921; abbreviation TKO is from 1940s.