particular

adjective par·tic·u·lar \ pər-ˈti-kyə-lər , pə- , -k(ə-)lər \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of particular

1 :of, relating to, or being a single person or thing

the particular person I had in mind

2 obsolete :partial

3 :of, relating to, or concerned with details

gave us a very particular account of the trip

4 a :distinctive among other examples or cases of the same general category :notably unusual

suffered from measles of particular severity

This computer program will be of particular interest to teachers.

b :being one unit or element among others

particular incidents in a story

5 a :denoting an individual member or subclass in logic

b :affirming or denying a predicate to a part of the subject —used of a proposition in logic

"some men are wise" is a particular affirmative

6 a :concerned over or attentive to details :meticulous

a very particular gardener

b :nice in taste :fastidious

She's very particular about her clothes.

c :hard to please :exacting

never loses patience even with the most particular customers

See particular defined for English-language learners

See particular defined for kids

Examples of particular in a Sentence

The computer program will be of particular interest to teachers.
Pay particular attention to the poet's choice of words.
Our teacher is very particular when it comes to punctuation.

Recent Examples of particular from the Web

But rules depend on the precise zoning regulations assigned to a particular parcel of land, said Kyle Elliott, the development department’s division manager for long-range planning and preservation.

— diane stafford, kansascity, "Development in midtown KC eating up the city’s green spaces," 27 Aug. 2017
Louisiana also is expected to get doused, and New Orleans in particular is bracing for flooding.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "Hurricane Harvey Is Now A Tropical Storm," 26 Aug. 2017
Sapp, in particular, is a guy whose game Collins tries to emulate.

— drew davison, star-telegram, "Cowboys tackle Maliek Collins likes being disruptive on field," 24 Aug. 2017
Washington was Hillary country, but HUD employees had particular cause for agita.

— alec macgillis, Daily Intelligencer, "Is Anybody Home at HUD?," 22 Aug. 2017
And very thinly sliced because that is the best way to truly appreciate the qualities of this particular cut.

— mimi sheraton, Bon Appetit, "Prime Rib Is the Dining Spectacle of the Year," 21 Aug. 2017
This particular spoiler even made its way into a some convincing-looking fake posters that started circulating late last year.

— joanna robinson, vanityfair.com, "Why Game of Thrones Fans Saw That Hideous Dragon Twist Coming," 20 Aug. 2017
And in this particular case, the chief executive officer of the Nevin's Restaurant Group means that both figuratively and literally.

— bill bird, Naperville Sun, "Closed Tommy Nevin's Pub to reopen as 'premium' steakhouse," 18 Aug. 2017
Women, in particular, have a lot at stake in the fight over the future of health care.

— anna gorman, Kaiser Health News, "Often Missing In The Health Care Debate: Women’s Voices," 17 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'particular.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of particular

Middle English particuler, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin particularis, from Latin particula small part

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

particular Synonyms

Synonyms

choosy (or choosey), dainty, delicate, demanding, exacting, fastidious, finical, finicking, fussbudgety, fussy, nice, old-maidish, finicky, pernickety [chiefly British], persnickety, picky

Antonyms

undemanding, unfastidious, unfussy

Near Antonyms

affable, breezy, carefree, devil-may-care, happy-go-lucky, lackadaisical, laid-back, low-pressure, relaxed; flexible, lax, loose; lenient, permissive; uncritical; indiscriminating, undiscriminating

Synonym Discussion of particular

circumstantial, minute, particular, detailed mean dealing with a matter fully and usually point by point. circumstantial implies fullness of detail that fixes something described in time and space.

- a circumstantial account of our visit

minute implies close and searching attention to the smallest details.

- a minute examination of a fossil

particular implies a precise attention to every detail.

- a particular description of the scene of the crime

detailed stresses abundance or completeness of detail.

- a detailed analysis of the event

special, especial, specific, particular, individual mean of or relating to one thing or class. special stresses having a quality, character, identity, or use of its own.

- special ingredients

especial may add implications of preeminence or preference.

- a matter of especial importance

specific implies a quality or character distinguishing a kind or a species.

- children with specific nutritional needs

particular stresses the distinctness of something as an individual.

- a ballet step of particular difficulty

individual implies unequivocal reference to one of a class or group.

- valued each individual opinion

particular

noun

Definition of particular

1 archaic :a separate part of a whole

2 a :an individual fact, point, circumstance, or detail

a hero in every particular
—Ron Fimrite

b :a specific item or detail of information —usually used in plural

wanted to know all the particulars of the incident

bill of particulars

3 a :an individual or a specific subclass (as in logic) falling under some general concept or term

b :a particular proposition in logic

— in particular

:in distinction from others :specifically

See particular defined for English-language learners

Examples of particular in a Sentence

They wanted to know the facts down to every particular.
requested a bill of particulars for the care he received in the hospital

Recent Examples of particular from the Web

Then the discussion gave way to a point-by-point discussion of particulars.

— jaclyn gallucci, Fortune, "This Is What You Get When You Spend $1,500 on a Pair of Jeans," 23 Aug. 2017
Each game features its own societies with their own benefits and drawbacks, but there's no word yet on the nitty gritty particulars of the new Age of Empires.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Get Ready for Farming and War in 'Age of Empires IV'," 22 Aug. 2017
As Mercury stations retrograde in your house of badass bizness, you’re being asked to review the particulars while also feeling lush and adventurous.

— bess matassa, Teen Vogue, "Weekly Horoscopes August Week 3," 11 Aug. 2017
Chair Sylvia Kowal had collected holiday-themed donations since January, said Pearl Wells, who filled me in on the particulars.

— joyce rudolph, Glendale News-Press, "On the Town: Holiday sale keeps league members hopping," 8 Aug. 2017
In an interview with Kaya Oakes at Religion Dispatches, Martin discusses the particulars of his informal ministry and the danger of believing God is on your side.

— emily perper, Longreads, "The Celebrity Jesuit Connecting With LGBTQ Catholics," 15 July 2017
But Sessions declined to answer particulars, preferring to reserve the president’s right to perhaps later claim executive privilege.

— john kass, Twin Cities, "John Kass: Jeff Sessions and the Senate sock puppet show," 18 June 2017
Cohn and his team, according to sources, had for months tried to get Trump’s attention on the particulars of tax reform, to no avail.

— jessica pressler, Daily Intelligencer, "Gary Cohn Has Profited From Big Mistakes. So Why Not Go Work for Trump?," 11 June 2017
Not all of the legislators recalled the particulars of the photo, but all of them said that their cheers had nothing to do with the Paris climate accord — which was signed years later — or about climate change.

— amy sherman, miamiherald, "Sarah Palin Facebook meme uses unrelated Florida House photo," 8 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of particular

see ¹particular

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

particular Synonyms

Synonyms

detail, item, point

Related Words

article, belonging, object, stuff, thing; characteristic, component, constituent, element, factor, feature, member; ingredient; division, particle, partition, piece, portion, section, segment

Near Antonyms

aggregate, composite, compound, conglomerate; entirety, sum, summation, total, totality, whole

Synonym Discussion of particular

item, detail, particular mean one of the distinct parts of a whole. item applies to each thing specified separately in a list or in a group of things that might be listed or enumerated.

- every item on the list

detail applies to one of the small component parts of a larger whole such as a task, building, painting, narration, or process.

- leave the details to others

particular stresses the smallness, singleness, and especially the concreteness of a detail or item.

- a description that included few particulars

PARTICULAR Defined for English Language Learners

particular

adjective

Definition of particular for English Language Learners

—used to indicate that one specific person or thing is being referred to and no others
: special or more than usual
: having very definite opinions about what is good or acceptable

particular

noun

Definition of particular for English Language Learners

: a specific detail or piece of information

PARTICULAR Defined for Kids

particular

adjective par·tic·u·lar \ pər-ˈti-kyə-lər \

Definition of particular for Students

1 :relating to one person or thing

Each city has its particular problems.

2 :not usual :special

Pay particular attention to correct spelling.

3 :having strong opinions about what is acceptable

He's very particular about food.

4 :being one of several

Which particular bike would you like?

5 :concerned about details

Our teacher is very particular.

—

particularly

adverb

— in particular

1 :that can be specifically named

I wasn't referring to anyone in particular.

2 :more specially than others :especially

She loves flowers and roses in particular.

particular

noun

Definition of particular for Students

:a single fact or detail

The account was correct in every particular.

Law Dictionary

particular

adjective par·tic·u·lar

legal Definition of particular

in the civil law of Louisiana :of or relating to a designated property or to the inheritance of it — compare universal

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Definition of particular

From the M-W Editors

Examples of particular in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of particular

particular Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of particular

particular

Definition of particular

Examples of particular in a Sentence

Recent Examples of particular from the Web

Origin and Etymology of particular

particular Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of particular

PARTICULAR Defined for English Language Learners

particular

Definition of particular for English Language Learners

particular

Definition of particular for English Language Learners

PARTICULAR Defined for Kids

particular

Definition of particular for Students

particularly

particular

Definition of particular for Students

Law Dictionary

particular

legal Definition of particular

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