specifically
Americanadverb
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in a definite or precise manner.
The suspect was not specifically named in the report. More specifically, you will be responsible for half the total cost.
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with an exact use or purpose in mind.
The manual is written specifically for nonexperts.
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with reference to qualities that are peculiar or proper to someone or something.
Our classes are specifically different from other yoga programs.
Etymology
Origin of specifically
First recorded in 1620–25; specific ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
Explanation
Specifically means particularly, or regarding one option out of several. You specifically requested that your birthday cake be chocolate with raspberry icing, so you were quite disappointed with the vanilla cake you were served instead. The adverb specifically comes from the Latin specificus, and shares a root with special and species. If you specifically choose something, you have made a special choice about it. If you single something out specifically, it's particularly significant. A documentary about this history of childhood might have been a real eye-opener, specifically the part about how kids used to go to work at 12 or younger.
Vocabulary lists containing specifically
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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Because of Winn-Dixie
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The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
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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.
“I don’t see those words specifically used in the article,” Gayles said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026
Taylor, while not specifically confirming or denying the allegations, alluded to “youthful indiscretions” from his past that he’s worked through with his wife.
From Slate ● Oct. 31, 2026
The words were not specifically aimed at Grealish, but they might as well have been from a manager who will have been bitterly disappointed and angry about his transgression.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
The researchers are particularly interested in identifying markers that could be used to develop therapies aimed specifically at the most dangerous cancer cells.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
This would not have puzzled Duhem, who specifically formulated his thesis to address modern physics; he acknowledged that it did not apply, for example, to nineteenth-century biology.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
