specific
Americanadjective
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having a special application, bearing, or reference; specifying, explicit, or definite.
to state one's specific purpose.
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specified, precise, or particular.
a specific sum of money.
- Antonyms:
- vague
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peculiar or proper to somebody or something, as qualities, characteristics, effects, etc..
His specific problems got him into trouble.
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of a special or particular kind.
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concerned specifically with the item or subject named (used in combination).
The Secretary addressed himself to crop-specific problems.
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Biology. of or relating to a species.
specific characters.
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Medicine/Medical.
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(of a disease) produced by a special cause or infection.
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(of a remedy) having special effect in the prevention or cure of a certain disease.
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Immunology. (of an antibody or antigen) having a particular effect on only one antibody or antigen or affecting it in only one way.
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Commerce. noting customs or duties levied in fixed amounts per unit, as number, weight, or volume.
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Physics.
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designating a physical constant that, for a particular substance, is expressed as the ratio of the quantity in the substance to the quantity in an equal volume of a standard substance, as water or air.
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designating a physical constant that expresses a property or effect as a quantity per unit length, area, volume, or mass.
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noun
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something specific, as a statement, quality, detail, etc.
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Medicine/Medical. a specific remedy.
There is no specific for the common cold.
adjective
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explicit, particular, or definite
please be more specific
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relating to a specified or particular thing
a specific treatment for arthritis
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of or relating to a biological species
specific differences
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(of a disease) caused by a particular pathogenic agent
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physics
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characteristic of a property of a particular substance, esp in relation to the same property of a standard reference substance
specific gravity
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characteristic of a property of a particular substance per unit mass, length, area, volume, etc
specific heat
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(of an extensive physical quantity) divided by mass
specific heat capacity
specific volume
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Also (rare): specifical. commerce denoting a tariff levied at a fixed sum per unit of weight, quantity, volume, etc, irrespective of value
noun
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(sometimes plural) a designated quality, thing, etc
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med any drug used to treat a particular disease
Related Words
See special.
Other Word Forms
- nonspecifically adverb
- prespecific adjective
- prespecifically adverb
- specifically adverb
- specificity noun
- unspecific adjective
- unspecifically adverb
Etymology
Origin of specific
First recorded in 1625–35; from Medieval Latin specificus, equivalent to Latin speci(ēs) species + -ficus -fic
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.
By placing thin metal layers on both sides of the polymer, the researchers created structures known as Fabry-Pérot resonators, which select specific wavelengths of light.
From Science Daily
They found that dynamic DNA folding was especially important in regions tied to each cell's specific role.
From Science Daily
One important method involves DNA strand displacement, a biochemical process that enables precise programming of movement using specific DNA sequences labeled as "fuel" and "structure."
From Science Daily
It does not require teams to hire any specific candidate.
From Barron's
Although Mr. Edwards’s iconic “Lynch Fragments” series embodied a specific memorializing of the black experience in America, he saw the meaning of his sculpture as universal.
Definitions 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.
