SPECIFY Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

specify

verb

ˈspe-sə-ˌfī

Definition of specify

as in to define

to give the rules about (something) clearly and exactly the document specifies precisely how you may use the information it contains

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to mention

to make reference to or speak about briefly but specifically police reports didn't specify the model of car the robbers were driving

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of specify Klinner declined to specify the amount of money she was initially told her husband, an eight-year Air Force veteran from Birmingham, Alabama, would be ineligible to receive. — Jack Brook, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026 The guidance specified that Fox’s programs should not follow Trump down a conspiratorial rabbit hole relating to the 2020 election. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026 That’s because Colorado allows the manufacturer to retest the marijuana, and the rules don’t specify a time frame for when those tests have to be done. — Christopher Osher, ProPublica, 4 Sep. 2026 The third officer's injuries weren't specified but were not life-threatening, officials said. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for specify

Recent Examples of Synonyms for specify

Verb

The trailblazing American feminist, Gloria Steinem, who died Wednesday, lived a life defined by movement in every sense of the word.

— Mary Lawrence Ware, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
The character is composed of only the broadest of strokes, thinly defined by toughness, trauma, and uncomfortable motherhood, runoff of the stew that formed characters like Ripley.

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of define

Verb

When Duncan asked what caused his stress, Nacua mentioned a lifestyle change, under the NFL spotlight and as a new father co-parenting his 10-month-old son.

— Jayna Bardahl, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
So the publicists for writers, theaters, and museums kept writing and phoning, even offering to fly her back to New York to see this or that, once or twice mentioning a free trip to Europe.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of mention

Verb

Robert Pastor, an attorney representing the family in a wrongful death lawsuit, said the violation was for not giving Blodgett the insulin as prescribed.

— Jacques Billeaud, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Researchers compared data on two groups each with more than 500 people who were prescribed three fills of semaglutide or tirzepatide over six months.

— Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of prescribe

Verb

In April 2025, the State Department upgraded El Salvador's travel advisory to its highest level, citing a drop in violent crimes and murders.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026
In a statement, the companies cited McKinsey projections expecting AI agents will handle $3 trillion to $5 trillion of global consumer commerce by 2030.

— Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of cite

Verb

Forgive my speculation, but all this seems to indicate a breaking point if Cincinnati doesn’t find success this year.

— Chris Branch, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
The pilots did not inform air traffic controllers of any problems with the plane prior to landing, air traffic control audio indicated.

— Maria Aguilar Prieto, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of indicate

Verb

As noted many times before in the QB stock report, the player’s situation always matters.

— Jeff Howe, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Through all of the animosity from the crowd, one that Matthews noted as particularly hostile, the up-and-down nature of the game and the spotlight Chesney brought to his team, the players appeared to be collected and poised.

— Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of note

Verb

In an April letter to the EPA, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, quoted an xAI senior manager who described the plan as copy and paste from Colossus 1.

— Austyn Gaffney, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2026
But according to Dietrich’s daughter Maria Riva, whose 1992 biography of her mother Lim liberally quotes from, Dietrich privately did not hold Wong in the highest esteem.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of quote

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specify

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Style

“Specify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specify. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of specify

verb

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