technicality

[ tek-ni-kal-i-tee ]

noun

, plural tech·ni·cal·i·ties

1. technical character.
2. the use of technical methods or terms.
3. something that is technical; a technical point, detail, or expression.

technicality

/ ˌtɛknɪˈkælɪtɪ /

noun

1. a petty formal point arising from a strict interpretation of rules, etc

   the case was dismissed on a technicality

2. the state or quality of being technical
3. technical methods and vocabulary

Other Words From

• hyper·techni·cali·ty noun
• over·techni·cali·ty noun plural overtechnicalities

Word History and Origins

Origin of technicality¹

First recorded in 1805–15; technical + -ity

Example Sentences

Through the increasingly common process known as “ballot curing,” campaigns are contacting voters whose ballots were not counted because of a technicality and giving them a chance to correct their mistakes.

From Los Angeles Times

The previous case against him was dismissed in 2021 due to a technicality regarding a search warrant of his electronic devices, court records show.

From Los Angeles Times

But marriage equality in California was never vindicated on its merits, just on a technicality.

From Los Angeles Times

Asha Heyward-James, an associate attorney of family law at Kessler & Solomiany in Georgia, told Salon in a phone interview that the grounds for divorce mostly function as a "technicality," and means of categorizing the process.

From Salon

Again, the technicality is that Trump might not leave.

From Los Angeles Times