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 But these particularities evaporate as Sheherazaad starts singing. Vrinda Jagota, SPIN, 11 Mar. 2024 In Biden’s case, the public is responding to the particularities of his presentation and performance. Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2024 The restaurant provides a snapshot into the particularities of the Los Angeles dining scene, where a hotspot can be located in a drab, rather mundane minimall. Max Berlinger, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2024 The upstarts are still struggling to figure out the particularities of different Latin American markets. Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2024 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

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 19 Mar. 2024.

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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