particularity

noun

par·​tic·​u·​lar·​i·​ty pər-ˌti-kyə-ˈler-ə-tē How to pronounce particularity (audio)
pə-,
-ˈla-rə-,
 also  (ˌ)pär-
plural particularities
1
a
: a minute detail : particular
b
: an individual characteristic : peculiarity
also : singularity
2
: the quality or state of being particular as distinguished from universal
3
a
: attentiveness to detail : exactness
b
: the quality or state of being fastidious in behavior or expression

Examples of particularity in a Sentence

The actors studied all of the particularities of the script. the special particularities of the South The particularities of the job take some time to get used to. She described the scene with great particularity.
Recent Examples on the Web In order to qualify, distributers need to present provisional distribution strategy and commit to a wide-release — with a flexible definition of that term, given territorial particularities — within a 12-month window following the close of each edition. Ben Croll, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023 The Gulf Coast is her home and her source: As with William Faulkner and Toni Morrison, great novelists with whom Ward is often compared, a commitment to evoking the particularities of place animates her work. Imani Perry, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2023 Much of this variation sprang from the particularities of applicant tracking software. WIRED, 17 Oct. 2023 In so doing, the majority essentially creates a special rule for reverse-keyword warrants that collapses both parts of the Fourth Amendment’s particularity test into a test based solely on the description of the thing to be seized. Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 18 Oct. 2023 Unsurprisingly, the consequence of swapping the gender of the story’s protagonists is a more robust interest in women and pregnancy — the deliveries, miscarriages, the intense and intractable particularity of each patient’s reproductive situation. Alexandra Kleeman, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2023 Though Ward is frequently linked to Faulkner and Morrison, writers for whom narrative was also a function of place and the histories that attach to specific communities, the association has led critics to miss Ward’s particularity. Imani Perry, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2023 Someone who understood this assignment particularity well? Christian Allaire, Vogue, 28 June 2023 Yes, the series is an urban crime drama, and the Baltimore on the show represents corrupt cities across the country — but the city is unlike any other, too, and the show amplifies those particularities. Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 27 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'particularity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of particularity was in 1528

Dictionary Entries Near particularity

Cite this Entry

“Particularity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/particularity. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

particularity

noun
par·​tic·​u·​lar·​i·​ty pə(r)-ˌtik-yə-ˈlar-ət-ē How to pronounce particularity (audio)
plural particularities
1
: a very small detail
2
: careful attention to detail : exactness, care

More from Merriam-Webster on particularity

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