specific

American  

[spi-sif-ik] / spɪˈsɪf ɪk /

adjective

1. having a special application, bearing, or reference; specifying, explicit, or definite.

   to state one's specific purpose.

2. specified, precise, or particular.

   a specific sum of money.

   Antonyms:

   vague

3. peculiar or proper to somebody or something, as qualities, characteristics, effects, etc..

   His specific problems got him into trouble.

4. of a special or particular kind.

5. concerned specifically with the item or subject named (used in combination).

   The Secretary addressed himself to crop-specific problems.

6. Biology. of or relating to a species.

   specific characters.

7. Medicine/Medical.

   1. (of a disease) produced by a special cause or infection.

   2. (of a remedy) having special effect in the prevention or cure of a certain disease.

8. Immunology. (of an antibody or antigen) having a particular effect on only one antibody or antigen or affecting it in only one way.

9. Commerce. noting customs or duties levied in fixed amounts per unit, as number, weight, or volume.

10. Physics.

    1. 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.

    2. 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

• specifics
  plural

1. something specific, as a statement, quality, detail, etc.

2. Medicine/Medical. a specific remedy.

   There is no specific for the common cold.

specific British  

/ spɪˈsɪfɪk /

adjective

1. explicit, particular, or definite

   please be more specific

2. relating to a specified or particular thing

   a specific treatment for arthritis

3. of or relating to a biological species

   specific differences

4. (of a disease) caused by a particular pathogenic agent

5. physics

   1. characteristic of a property of a particular substance, esp in relation to the same property of a standard reference substance

      specific gravity

   2. characteristic of a property of a particular substance per unit mass, length, area, volume, etc

      specific heat

   3. (of an extensive physical quantity) divided by mass

      specific heat capacity

      specific volume

6. Also (rare): specifical. commerce denoting a tariff levied at a fixed sum per unit of weight, quantity, volume, etc, irrespective of value

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noun

1. (sometimes plural) a designated quality, thing, etc

2. med any drug used to treat a particular disease

Synonym Usage

See special.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• specificity
  noun
• prespecific
  adjective
• unspecific
  adjective
• nonspecifically
  adverb
• prespecifically
  adverb
• specifically
  adverb
• unspecifically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• specifics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of specific

First recorded in 1625–35; from Medieval Latin specificus, equivalent to Latin speci(ēs) species + -ficus -fic

Explanation

If you describe something as specific, you're signaling that you're being precise. Say you ask your friend to meet you at a specific time and place — it means you want to meet her at, say, Ray's Pizza at 3:00 PM, not just anywhere. Specific also means "detailed and exact." That's the sense of the word that comes into play when a teacher advises you to be as specific as possible. Indeed, specific writing paints a picture. Say your friend Angela lives on a soybean farm in Iowa and takes Claritin for her pollen allergy. That might not be the most interesting fact in the world, but it's a lot more interesting than saying you have a friend who lives in the Midwest and takes medicine for a problem. If the sentence about Angela's pollen allergy is interesting at all, it's because of the specifics.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

specific specifics

They have also been able to reveal neural circuits governing specific memories, feelings and behaviors relevant for neurological and psychiatric disorders.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

"Those two matters are not specific to Essex and therefore the evidence the inquiry hears will be of relevance to service providers across the entire country," Baroness Lampard said.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

The spokesperson did not comment on whether this specific proposal violated city rules but noted that documented proposals require a professional photography permit and said that proposals that include set-ups and structures are not allowed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

While traditional industrial robots are designed to repeat a specific task and need to be reprogrammed to do something different, RobCo says Alfie’s embedded AI allows it to adapt to new tasks on its own.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

And I can only answer her in code, and only to answer the specific questions that she asks, like Can you tell I’m testing your arm?

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

Chabria: Let me start things off by saying my hope is that Hilton will push Becerra into specifics around issues including affordability, what we’re going to do about the coming Medicaid cliff, housing and education.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Brockman said in an interview in May that he didn’t agree with all the group’s spending decisions but declined to discuss specifics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

At a summit last week, both countries agreed to share information about AI incidents that would pose national-security implications without providing specifics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

They may vary on the specifics, but the intent is the same.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

Of the two talks Farmer was scheduled to deliver, one was for clinicians about the specifics of treating AIDS, and the other was more general, about poverty and inequality, especially in Haiti.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

• clear-cut
• definite
• definitive
• different
• distinct
• exact
• explicit
• individual
• limited
• peculiar
• precise
• special
• specialized
• unambiguous
• unequivocal
• unique