especial
Americanadjective
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special; exceptional; outstanding.
of no especial importance; an especial friend.
-
of a particular kind, or peculiar to a particular one; particular.
your especial case.
adjective
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unusual; notable; exceptional
he paid especial attention to her that evening
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applying to one person or thing in particular; not general; specific; peculiar
he had an especial dislike of relatives
Usage
Especial and especially have a more limited use than special and specially. Special is always used in preference to especial when the sense is one of being out of the ordinary: a special lesson; he has been specially trained. Special is also used when something is referred to as being for a particular purpose: the word was specially underlined for you. Where an idea of pre-eminence or individuality is involved, either especial or special may be used: he is my especial (or special ) friend; he is especially (or specially ) good at his job. In informal English, however, special is usually preferred in all contexts
Commonly Confused
See special.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of especial
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French < Latin speciālis pertaining to a particular kind. See special
Explanation
Something especial is even greater or more than it usually is. The letters you get from your Japanese pen pal will be of especial interest to your brother, who collects foreign stamps. You can use the adjective especial to emphasize the unusual or singular nature of something, or its importance. Doctors and nurses need to take especial care to wash their hands often, and it might give your grandmother especial joy to see all of her thirteen grandchildren pose for a photograph together. Especial is less common than its near-relation, special, and both words come from the Latin specialis, "particular."
Vocabulary lists containing especial
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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.
Under especial scrutiny is Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, the public face of Trump’s deportation ground game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 30, 2025
“One thing I leave in your especial care,” she said, the night before she left.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Sensible that I should speak and join the frolic, I opined that I should like to hear their especial call, having never heard human imitate that animal’s cry.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
There were two Privates of especial interest to me assigned to this detachment who were not among those who returned.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
“It’s a shame,” Grandma kept telling Martha, who was named for her and was her especial pet.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
