tech-savvy

English

WOTD – 2 December 2021

Etymology

From tech (“(informal) technology”) +‎ savvy (“perceptive, shrewd, and well-informed”); perhaps a contraction of high-tech savvy, or a variant of techno-savvy.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtɛkˌsævi/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: tech-sav‧vy

Adjective

tech-savvy (comparative more tech-savvy, superlative most tech-savvy)

1. (informal) Proficient in the use of technology, especially computers.

   Synonym: techno-savvy

   • 1996 July 15, Michael Krantz, “Cashing in on Tomorrow”, in Time‎^[1], volume 148, number 4, New York, N.Y.: Time Warner Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 9 March 2008:

     The Tofflers have also recruited as executive partners TV producer Al Burton and the tech-savvy film producer and entrepreneur Jeff Apple.

   • 2021 August 11, Chris Howe, “Inspire the March of the ‘Mods’”, in RAIL, number 937, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 63:

     But as the railways become increasingly digitised, it is these young tech-savvy individuals with knowledge about coding who may well have the skills the industry needs.

   • 2022 December 14, Christian Wolmar, “Productivity should play no part in pay negotiations”, in RAIL, number 972, page 47:

     People want to see staff on trains. […] People want ticket offices. […] The danger is that we could end up with a minimalist railway, usable only by those who are fit, tech-savvy, and have an existing knowledge of the network.

Related terms

• techno-savvy

Translations

proficient in the use of technology, especially computers

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 精通科技的 (jīngtōng kējì de)

• Finnish: tekniikan hallitseva, tekniikan osaava
• German: technikaffin
• Spanish: que domina la tecnología, hábil con la tecnología, proficiente con la tecnología

Further reading

• “tech-savvy, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.