specific

adjective spe·cif·ic \ spi-ˈsi-fik \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of specific

1 a : constituting or falling into a specifiable category

b : sharing or being those properties of something that allow it to be referred to a particular category

2 a : restricted to a particular individual, situation, relation, or effect

a disease specific to horses

b : exerting a distinctive influence (as on a body part or a disease)

specific antibodies

3 : free from ambiguity : accurate

a specific statement of faith

4 : of, relating to, or constituting a species and especially a biological species

5 a : being any of various arbitrary physical constants and especially one relating a quantitative attribute to unit mass, volume, or area

b : imposed at a fixed rate per unit (as of weight or count)

specific import duties

— compare ad valorem

—

specifically

play \spi-ˈsi-fi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See specific defined for English-language learners

See specific defined for kids

Examples of specific in a Sentence

Is there anything specific you want for dinner?
There is a specific word for this kind of feeling.
a bird species that requires a specific environment
We were each given a specific topic to talk about.
The doctor gave the patient specific instructions on how to care for the wound.
Can you be more specific? What exactly did the policeman say?
He gave her a ring—or, to be more specific, he gave her an engagement ring.
She was very specific—you have to use a certain kind of tomato in the sauce.
an education plan specific to each student's interests and abilities
problems specific to this one housing project

Recent Examples of specific from the Web

The Denali-specific annual pass would also increase by $5, from $40 to $45.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Interior ratchets back national park fee hike, proposing smaller increases for many — including Denali," 12 Apr. 2018
Coachella trips can easily spiral into the thousands of dollars, which means the experience is for a very specific audience: rich (or aspirationally rich) people.

— jonny coleman, Los Angeles Magazine, "Why the Hell Can’t Hollywood Make a Decent Music Festival Movie?," 11 Apr. 2018
Sometimes the update is specific to the location and business trends of a particular restaurant.

— nate berg, Curbed, "McDonald’s 2.0," 11 Apr. 2018
No players are directly named, but specific details make clear the indictment is describing former North Carolina State star Dennis Smith Jr. and Kansas player Silvio De Sousa.

— larry neumeister, Houston Chronicle, "Kansas, NC State swept up in NCAA hoops bribery case," 11 Apr. 2018
Each team will have a draft-specific hat for the picks from April 26-28.

— scott horner, Indianapolis Star, "NFL Draft 2018: Twitter has jokes about Colts draft hats," 10 Apr. 2018
The electronic stability control software is specific to the RS5 and its more pointed performance mission.

— jim resnick, Ars Technica, "The 2018 Audi RS5: Effortless speed and a magic carpet ride," 7 Apr. 2018
The idea for a kid-specific outdoor apparel brand came to Vistisen not long after her son, Gunner, was born, in 2015.

— ariella gintzler, Outside Online, "The Upstart Brand Making Affordable Kids Apparel," 6 Apr. 2018
But remember, your volunteer is a robot that needs very specific instructions.

— ben finio, Scientific American, "Robot, Make Me a Sandwich!," 5 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of specific

Late Latin specificus, from Latin species

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1631

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

specific Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of specific

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

explicit, definite, express, specific mean perfectly clear in meaning. explicit implies such verbal plainness and distinctness that there is no need for inference and no room for difficulty in understanding.

- explicit instructions

definite stresses precise, clear statement or arrangement that leaves no doubt or indecision.

- the law is definite in such cases

express implies both explicitness and direct and positive utterance.

- her express wishes

specific applies to what is precisely and fully treated in detail or particular.

- two specific criticisms

specific

noun

Definition of specific

1 a : something peculiarly adapted to a purpose or use

b : a drug or remedy having a specific mitigating effect on a disease

used as a specific against malaria

2 a : a characteristic quality or trait

b : details, particulars —usually used in plural

haggling over the legal and financial specifics of independence
—Time

c specifics plural : specification 2a

Examples of specific in a Sentence

quinine is a specific for malaria
although the speech was long on rhetoric and platitudinous generalities, it lacked specifics

Recent Examples of specific from the Web

View 13 Photos For all its modernity, the Essentia concept does share one trait with the concepts of yore: the complete lack of powertrain specifics.

— andrew wendler, Car and Driver, "Genesis Essentia Concept: High-Tech Coupe Dreams," 29 Mar. 2018
Instead, the Billions premiere handled the Donald Trump presidency in the most Billions way possible: slyly acknowledging a change in the outside world, but not delving into specifics.

— refinery29.com, "Is Donald Trump The President In The Billions Universe?," 26 Mar. 2018
But zooming out from the specifics of Herzberg's crash, the more fundamental point is this: conventional car crashes killed 37,461 in the United States in 2016, which works out to 1.18 deaths per 100 million miles driven.

— timothy b. lee, Ars Technica, "Video suggests huge problems with Uber’s driverless car program," 22 Mar. 2018
The clinic’s website — available in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic, as well as German — offers few specifics and provides no names of physicians or information on pricing.

— lindsay gellman, Longreads, "The Last Resort," 22 Mar. 2018
But the specifics of the Russia investigation – particularly Trump’s insistence that it is rooted in bias and illegality – are a big driver here as well, particularly for GOP opinion.

— peter grier, The Christian Science Monitor, "The perennial presidential urge to bring FBI 'under control'," 29 Mar. 2018
But like all things British royalty, the specifics are complicated, and affected by tradition.

— megan friedman, Town & Country, "Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Third Child Will Be Born With an Impressive Title," 28 Mar. 2018
Unanimously frustrated by the utility's slow hiring pace, several commissioners on Monday pushed Kahn to bring back more specifics on what red tape Civil Service could cut to help hasten hiring.

— beau evans, NOLA.com, "'It's not good': Confidence in Sewerage & Water Board hiring wanes," 21 Mar. 2018
With no specifics on what’s to be included in the spending bill, Broshuis would not speculate about its potential impact on the future of the lawsuit.

— ted berg, For The Win, "MLB is reportedly lobbying Congress to keep minor leaguers from earning minimum wage," 19 Mar. 2018