specifically

adverb

spe·​cif·​i·​cal·​ly spi-ˈsi-fi-k(ə-)lē 

1

: in a specific manner : in a definite and exact way : with precision

instructed them specifically on how to proceed

the people specifically named in the report

The reasons for the change were not specifically mentioned.

I specifically told her not to bother you.

Knead the bread dough for several minutes, or, more specifically, until it forms a smooth ball.

2

—used to indicate the exact identity, purpose, or use of something

The show is aimed specifically at a female audience.

Specifically, the stores are lowering the height of store shelving, changing out signs, repainting some areas and … putting products next to each other that customers typically buy together.

—Jill Rick

Synonyms of specifically

• especially
• particularly
• notably
• specially

Examples of specifically in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

More specifically, travelers said the most common issues are accommodation problems, arguments with travel companions, bad weather and crowded destinations. —Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 3 June 2026

But really, the focus is mostly on the whole scandal and, more specifically, on West. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 3 June 2026

The centerpiece is the massive ice sculptures built specifically for the event — full-scale buildings, castles and figures carved from blocks of ice harvested from the Songhua River. —Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 2 June 2026

In the 1890s, at the height of the Gilded Age, Southern states rewrote their constitutions to disenfranchise poor whites and Black citizens alike, specifically to crush the rising Populist movement. —Sarita Gupta, Time, 2 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for specifically

• prolifically
• terrifically