subspecialty

noun

sub·​spe·​cial·​ty ˌsəb-ˈspe-shəl-tē 

variants or less commonly sub-specialty

plural subspecialties also sub-specialties

: a specialty that is part of a broader specialty

Child psychiatry is a subspecialty of general psychiatry, just as hematology is of internal medicine.

—Bruno Bettelheim and Alvin A. Rosenfeld

An entire subspecialty known as machine learning is devoted to building algorithms that allow computers to develop new behaviors based on experience.

—Adam Piore

Examples of subspecialty in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The niche subspecialty demands delicate hands, unflappable focus, and a nuanced understanding of developmental biology. —Megan Molteni, STAT, 21 Feb. 2024

The company is a market leader in subspecialty teleradiology and provides services for outpatient imaging centers, orthopedic practices, university healthcare systems, and professional sports teams. —Andrew Gaudet, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2024

The essays remain thoroughly entertaining performances—eviscerating mockery being a Wilson subspecialty—despite failing to answer either question satisfactorily. —Geoffrey O’Brien, The New York Review of Books, 18 Jan. 2024

Most gastroenterologists don’t choose their subspecialty based on its inherent glamour. —Douglas G. Adler, Discover Magazine, 22 Oct. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

subspecialty

noun

sub·​spe·​cial·​ty ˌsəb-ˈspesh-əl-tē, ˈsəb-ˌ 

plural subspecialties

: a subordinate field of specialization

child psychiatry is a subspecialty of general psychiatry

—Bruno Bettelheim et al.