noun
-
a petty formal point arising from a strict interpretation of rules, etc
the case was dismissed on a technicality
-
the state or quality of being technical
-
technical methods and vocabulary
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of technicality
Explanation
A technicality is a trivial or very small detail. You might consider your scuffed, unpolished shoes to be an unimportant technicality when you're dressing for a job interview. You can use the noun technicality for any small point or detail, but it's most likely to come up in the context of a court trial or a conversation with an attorney. A legal technicality is a small but ultimately important detail of the law. For example, a robbery suspect might have his trial dismissed on a legal technicality if the arresting police officer neglected to show him a search warrant before searching his house.
Vocabulary lists containing technicality
It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Guts
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Just Mercy
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
He’s trying to get her papers, and there was a technicality in there—she had crossed over and not said it and is getting deported.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
That’s enough to overlook the technicality that she isn’t a grandma—yet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
“The fiduciary point is the part most people miss, and it sounds like a technicality until it’s your data,” Jeff Judge, CFP at Chesapeake Financial Planners, told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
She added its conclusion on a technicality "leaves a lot of questions and debates unresolved," such as how highly capable AI systems are governed and who reaps their economic benefits.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
After pulling off one of the great suburban escapes of all time, I’m getting sidelined on a technicality.
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
Sticklers will note that “Roughing It” is supposedly nonfiction, but when was Mark Twain ever bound by technicalities, much less facts?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
And when the technicalities of A.I. detection collide with cancel culture, it does not lead anywhere productive.
From Slate ● Apr. 17, 2026
But he says he wouldn’t be surprised to see that some people will accept the assumption that Betty Boop enters the public domain next year without delving into the legal technicalities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 30, 2025
Second, because of legislative technicalities, high earners will get an approximately 5.4% haircut on their total itemized deductions.
From Barron's ● Nov. 25, 2025
Technically, I’m not doing anything wrong, not yet, but if the police stop me—well, let’s just say they have an uncanny ability to make technicalities disappear.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
