especially
Americanadverb
adverb
-
in particular; specifically
for everyone's sake, especially your children's
-
very much
especially useful for vegans
Usage
See special.
Synonym Usage
Especially, chiefly, particularly, principally refer to those cases that seem to be significant. Especially and particularly single out the most prominent case or example (often in order to particularize a general statement): Winter is especially severe on old people. Corn grows well in the Midwest, particularly in Iowa. Chiefly and principally imply that the general statement applies to a majority of the cases in question and have a somewhat comparative force: Owls fly chiefly at night. Crime occurs principally in large cities.
Etymology
Origin of especially
Explanation
Especially describes something that can be singled out as better or more than. An especially tall building is extremely tall. Behind many good adverbs is a good adjective; this is especially true for the word especially, which is built from the common adjective special. This means something close to particularly and can be used to describe something that is more than something else. Basketball players are especially tall. Puppies and kittens are especially cute. The President is an especially important person. If you win first place in a piccolo contest then you are especially good at playing piccolo.
Vocabulary lists containing especially
Commonly Confused Words, List 3
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Commonly Confused Words, List 6
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Commonly Confused Words, List 8
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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.
That means the decision will turn on developments before the Sept. 15-16 meeting, especially the August consumer-price index on Sept. 11.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Growing up, Harp spent most of her time with adults, especially her mother, and would rarely socialize with her peers, her brother recalled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Research has been especially lacking in people living near major sources of air pollution, such as highways.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
Crashes in a moving group of riders—the peloton—are especially hazardous because there’s little opportunity to react, and seldom any room to maneuver.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Where the dirt is especially hard, I hammer using my entire weight.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
