special

1 being the one or ones of a class with no other members the President claimed that international terrorism was a special threat that required a special way of dealing with it Synonyms alone, lone, one, one-off, singular, sole, solitary, only, sui generis, uniqueRelated Words single, solo, unaccompanied, unattended; incomparable, inimitable, matchless, peerless, unequaled (or unequalled), unmatched, unparalleled, unrivaled (or unrivalled), unsurpassable, unsurpassed; distinct, distinctive, individual, separate; nonceNear Antonyms divers, manifold, multifarious, myriad; assorted, heterogenous, miscellaneous, mixed, motley, patchwork, promiscuous, varied; popular, prevailing, prevalent, rampant; perennial, recurrent, repeated

2 granted special treatment or attention one student who was treated as special by the teacher Synonyms beloved, cherished, dear, fair-haired, favored, favorite, fond, loved, pet, precious, darling, sweet, white-headedRelated Words admired, adored, appreciated, esteemed, relished, revered; prized, treasured; preferredNear Antonyms abhorred, abominated, despised, detested, disdained, disfavored, disliked, execrated, hated, loathed, unfavorite; abandoned, forgotten, ignored; alienated, estrangedAntonyms unbeloved

3 of a particular or exact sort you'll need special permission from the fire department to do that Synonyms concrete, distinct, especial, peculiar, precise, set, express, specificRelated Words lone, only, separate, single, sole, solitary; distinctive, exclusive, individual, unique; limited, restricted; differentiated, specialized; given, specifiedNear Antonyms general, generalized, generic, nonexclusive, universalAntonyms nonspecific