specialty

American  

[spesh-uhl-tee] / ˈspɛʃ əl ti /

noun

specialties plural

1. a special or distinctive quality, mark, state, or condition.

2. a special subject of study, line of work, area of interest, or the like.

   His specialty is art criticism.

3. an article or service particularly dealt in, rendered, manufactured, etc., or one to which the provider, dealer, or manufacturer claims to devote special care.

   The manufacturer's specialty is fine hats.

   Synonyms:

   forte, badge, stamp, trademark

4. an article of unusual or superior design or quality.

5. a novelty; a new article.

6. an article with such strong consumer demand that it is at least partially removed from price competition.

7. a special or particular point, item, matter, characteristic, or peculiarity.

8. Law.

   1. a special agreement, contract, etc., expressed in an instrument under seal.

   2. a negotiable instrument not under seal.

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adjective

1. Theater. (in vaudeville)

   1. performing or performed in a manner that is unusual or not customary for a type of act, especially a performance involving dexterity or ingenuity, as a patter song.

      specialty actor; specialty act.

   2. (of a song or dance) isolated from the rest of the show.

      specialty number.

specialty British  

/ ˈspɛʃəltɪ /

noun

1. law a formal contract or obligation expressed in a deed

2. a special interest or skill

3. 1. a service or product specialized in, as at a restaurant

      roast beef was a specialty of the house

   2. ( as modifier )

      a specialty dish

4. a special or distinguishing feature or characteristic

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• specialties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of specialty

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English specialte, specialite “particular affection, fondness,” from Old French especialte, specialte “special quality, favor, or privilege,” from Latin speciālitāt- (inflectional stem of speciālitās) “particularity, peculiarity”; see special, -ity

Explanation

A specialty is someone's strong suit or area of expertise. A restaurant’s best dish would be its specialty. If you love baking muffins, make that your specialty. Magic Johnson was a great overall basketball player, but his specialty was passing the ball to teammates and getting assists. A specialty is a skill, strength, or asset someone has because of hard work. A doctor can have a specialty such as cardiology. A restaurant will usually have a specialty, which is a unique meal they're known for making. Just like special things have something unique or great about them, specialties are something a person or place does well.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

specialty specialties

Such men were known as rhapsodes, those who stitch songs together, and their specialty was Homer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Paloma Wool’s first permanent store in L.A. houses footwear, bags, a fresh new menswear line and exclusive specialty projects.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Dine-in movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is launching a new initiative to show unreleased independent films that had successful festival runs, a move that comes as specialty films have struggled to gain distribution.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

His progress was cut short by the Vietnam War, and he enlisted pre-emptively in the Army in 1963, which let him pick a specialty: motion-picture combat photography.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Dad was making breakfast: smoked-salmon hash, his specialty.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman

For the games, the Cape Verdean owner, Sara Lopes, will be hosting watch parties and cooking up specialties like duck linguiça, a smoked sausage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

It also served some of the region’s more unique specialties, such as clam cakes from a recipe hand-written by his grandmother found on the back of a fish-shop receipt.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026

The semiconductor industry has always been cyclical — not only as a whole, but for particular specialties within the sector and even for individual companies.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 24, 2026

Chef Awa Sibi cooks food from her homeland of Côte d’Ivoire, along with other West African specialties, all halal.

From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2026

Sometimes, of course, these two specialties are one and the same.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• hobby
• major
• masterpiece
• profession
• speciality