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.
As beneficiaries, your kids will need to know how the trust is set up, specifically whether it is a “grantor” or “nongrantor” trust for income-tax purposes.
From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026
For me, that often means stopping by my local Vietnamese grocery store specifically for produce.
From Salon • May 22, 2026
The Ivor Novello Awards, are coveted in the UK music industry because they specifically recognise the importance of songwriting.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
“We’ve always highlighted civics, social studies, history, economics and very specifically about how countries operate,” says series creator and executive producer Aaron Augenblick.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
Kepler specifically said that ‘my aim...is to show that the machine of the universe is not similar to a divine animated being, but similar to a clock’.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
