Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

particular

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of particular

1 hard to please

  • sheʼs very particular about the cleanliness of her car
Synonyms of particular

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

hyperfastidious, overdemanding, ultrafastidious

discerning, discriminating, selective

insightful, knowledgeable

captious, carping, caviling (or cavilling), critical, faultfinding, hypercritical, overcritical

careful, meticulous, painstaking, punctilious, scrupulous

queasy (also queazy), squeamish

peevish, petulant, prickly, touchy

niminy-piminy, prim, prissy
Near Antonyms of particular

affable, breezy, carefree, devil-may-care, happy-go-lucky, lackadaisical, laid-back, low-pressure, relaxed

flexible, lax, loose

lenient, permissive

uncritical

indiscriminating, undiscriminating
Antonyms of particular

undemanding, unfastidious, unfussy

2 of, relating to, or belonging to a single person

  • that particular mug is Mikeʼs
Synonyms of particular

idiomatic, individual, individualized, patented, peculiar, personal, personalized, private, privy, separate, singular, subjective, unique
Words Related to particular

characteristic, distinctive, intimate

identifying, idiosyncratic

especial, express, special, specific

independent, nonconformist, self-directed, self-sufficient

custom, customized, specialized
Near Antonyms of particular

broad, prevailing, prevalent, widespread

common, normal, regular, typical
Antonyms of particular

general, generic, popular, public, shared, universal

3 tending to select carefully

  • heʼs particular about the corn he buys
Synonyms of particular

choosy (or choosey), picky, selective
Words Related to particular

nice

fastidious, finical, finicking, finicky, fussy

discerning, discriminating, judicious
Near Antonyms of particular

indiscriminate, indiscriminating
Antonyms of particular

nonselective, unselective

4 including many small descriptive features

  • a very particular account of the breakdown of their marriage from the husband's perspective
Synonyms of particular

blow-by-blow, circumstantial, detailed, elaborate, full, minute, particularized, thorough
Words Related to particular

enumerated, inventoried, itemized, listed, numerated

delineated, specific, specified

abundant, copious

comprehensive, encyclopedic, exhausting, exhaustive, inclusionary, inclusive, in-depth, omnibus, panoramic, thoroughgoing

accurate, correct, exact, precise

complete, entire, replete

distinct, explicit, sharp

mapped (out)

descriptive, graphic (also graphical), picturesque, vivid
Near Antonyms of particular

brief, compact, concise, crisp, pithy, short, succinct, terse

abbreviated, abridged, curtailed, cut, pruned, shortened, trimmed

ambiguous, indeterminate, nebulous, nondescript, sketchy, vague

bird's-eye, broad, general, nonspecific, overall, unspecified
Antonyms of particular

compendious, summary

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

particular

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of particular

1 a separate part in a list, account, or series

  • requested a bill of particulars for the care he received in the hospital
Synonyms of particular

detail, item, point
Words Related to particular

article, belonging, object, stuff, thing

characteristic, component, constituent, element, factor, feature, member

ingredient

division, particle, partition, piece, portion, section, segment
Near Antonyms of particular

aggregate, composite, compound, conglomerate

entirety, sum, summation, total, totality, whole

2 a single piece of information

  • everyone wanted to know all the particulars about the forthcoming merger
Synonyms of particular

datum, detail, fact, nicety, particularity, point, specific
Words Related to particular

article, item

component, constituent, element, ingredient, member, part

aspect, circumstance, facet, factor

evidence, exhibit

database, information, knowledge
Near Antonyms of particular

error, fallacy, falsehood, inaccuracy, misconception, misstatement, myth

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

Learn More about particular

  1. See words that rhyme with particular Dictionary: Definition of particular Spanish Central: Translation of particular Nglish: Translation of particular for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of particular for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about particular

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up particular? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games