specific

[ spi-sif-ik ]

See synonyms for: specific specifics specifically on Thesaurus.com

adjective

having a special application, bearing, or reference; specifying, explicit, or definite: to state one's specific purpose.
specified, precise, or particular: a specific sum of money.

peculiar or proper to somebody or something, as qualities, characteristics, effects, etc.: His specific problems got him into trouble.
of a special or particular kind.
concerned specifically with the item or subject named (used in combination): The Secretary addressed himself to crop-specific problems.
Biology. of or relating to a species: specific characters.
Medicine/Medical.
- (of a disease) produced by a special cause or infection.
- (of a remedy) having special effect in the prevention or cure of a certain disease.
Immunology. (of an antibody or antigen) having a particular effect on only one antibody or antigen or affecting it in only one way.
Commerce. noting customs or duties levied in fixed amounts per unit, as number, weight, or volume.
Physics.
- 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.
- designating a physical constant that expresses a property or effect as a quantity per unit length, area, volume, or mass.

noun

something specific, as a statement, quality, detail, etc.
Medicine/Medical. a specific remedy: There is no specific for the common cold.

Origin of specific

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

synonym study For specific

1. See special.

Opposites for specific

vague

See antonyms for specific on Thesaurus.com

Other words from specific

spe·cif·i·cal·ly, adverb
non·spe·cif·i·cal·ly, adverb
pre·spe·cif·ic, adjective
pre·spe·cif·i·cal·ly, adverb
un·spe·cif·ic, adjective
un·spe·cif·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use specific in a sentence

Both sides said the meeting went well but offered few specifics.
De Blasio and the New York City Protesters Have No Blood on Their Hands | Jacob Siegel | December 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Even when pressed, the department has been less than forthcoming with specifics on police shootings in the city.
Chicago’s Cops Don’t Even Get Investigated for Shooting People in the Back | Justin Glawe | December 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But the specifics of “sex” were, and in many states still are, loosely defined.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix | Justin Jones | November 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He sticks only to specifics—the dates of operations, the number of people killed on both sides, even the number of bullets fired.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley | Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman | November 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The whole picture does not include a whole lot of specifics.
Rand Paul Channels Malala to Bash Obama | Olivia Nuzzi | October 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

He had mastered the trick of making universals sound like specifics.
Sense from Thought Divide | Mark Irvin Clifton
Alas, yes; although I tried to keep him up, giving him specifics and carminatives and bleeding him once.
Under the Rose | Frederic Stewart Isham
Before giving it up as insoluble we should make full proof of these homely specifics.
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, July 1899 | Various
The idea of specifics in medicine has to a large extent disappeared.
Psychotherapy | James J. Walsh
In Japan the stones are accounted of medicinal value, while in Burma and Assam they are infallible specifics for ophthalmia.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for specific

specific

/ (spɪˈsɪfɪk) /

adjective

explicit, particular, or definite: please be more specific
relating to a specified or particular thing: a specific treatment for arthritis

of or relating to a biological species: specific differences
(of a disease) caused by a particular pathogenic agent
physics
- characteristic of a property of a particular substance, esp in relation to the same property of a standard reference substance: specific gravity
- characteristic of a property of a particular substance per unit mass, length, area, volume, etc: specific heat
- (of an extensive physical quantity) divided by mass: specific heat capacity; specific volume
Also (rare): specifical commerce denoting a tariff levied at a fixed sum per unit of weight, quantity, volume, etc, irrespective of value

noun

(sometimes plural) a designated quality, thing, etc
med any drug used to treat a particular disease

Origin of specific

C17: from Medieval Latin specificus, from Latin species

Derived forms of specific

specifically, adverb
specificity (ˌspɛsɪˈfɪsɪtɪ), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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