special

[ spesh-uhl ]

adjective

1. of a distinct or particular kind or character:

   a special kind of key.

   Antonyms: general

2. being a particular one; particular, individual, or certain:

   You'd better call the special number.

3. pertaining or peculiar to a particular person, thing, instance, etc.; distinctive; unique:

   the special features of a plan.

4. having a specific or particular function, purpose, etc.:

   a special messenger.

5. distinguished or different from what is ordinary or usual: to fix something special.

   a special occasion;

   to fix something special.

   Synonyms: singular

6. extraordinary; exceptional, as in amount or degree; especial:

   special importance.

7. being such in an exceptional degree; particularly valued:

   a special friend.

8. Sometimes Offensive. pertaining to people with singular needs or disabilities, or to their education:

   disabled students with special needs;

   state funding for special schools.

noun

1. a special person or thing.
2. a train used for a particular purpose, occasion, or the like.
3. a special edition of a newspaper.
4. Theater. a spotlight reserved for a particular area, property, actor, etc.:

   Give me the coffin special.

5. a temporary, arbitrary reduction in the price of regularly stocked goods, especially food; a particularly worthwhile offer or price:

   The special this week is on sirloin steaks.

6. Television. a single program not forming part of a regular series.

special

/ ˈspɛʃəl /

adjective

1. distinguished, set apart from, or excelling others of its kind
2. prenominal designed or reserved for a particular purpose

   a special tool for working leather

3. not usual or commonplace
4. prenominal particular or primary

   his special interest was music

5. denoting or relating to the education of physically or mentally handicapped children

   a special school

noun

1. a special person or thing, such as an extra edition of a newspaper or a train reserved for a particular purpose
2. a dish or meal given prominence, esp at a low price, in a café, etc
3. slang.
   history a convict given special treatment on account of his education, social class, etc
4. short for special constable
5. informal.
   an item in a store that is advertised at a reduced price; a loss leader

verb

1. informal.
   to advertise and sell (an item) at a reduced price

   we are specialling butter this week

Usage Note

In American English the adjective special is overwhelmingly more common than especial in all senses: He will be of special help if you can't understand the documentation. The reverse is true of the adverbs; here especially is by far the more common: He will be of great help, especially if you have trouble understanding the documentation. Only when the sense “specifically” is intended is specially more idiomatic: The machine was specially designed for use by a left-handed operator.

Usage

See especial

Sensitive Note

In the 20th century, special was used freely as a modifier describing services or accessibility resources for people with disabilities or disabled people's functional needs, and sometimes as a euphemism for disabled to label the people themselves. Most euphemistic language for disabilities and people with disabilities is no longer preferred, and special used in this way may be considered offensive, especially when used to describe a person. The phrase special needs is somewhat more accepted, but is less common than it used to be. Instead, when possible, make reference to the specific disability in question. However, the fixed expression special education is still an official designation in public education and continues to be used, even by speakers who otherwise avoid special and its compounds.

Derived Forms

• ˈspecially, adverb
• ˈspecialness, noun

Other Words From

• spe·cial·ly adverb
• in·ter·spe·cial adjective
• non·spe·cial adjective noun
• su·per·spe·cial adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of special¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English (adjective), from Latin speciālis “of a given species,” equivalent to speci(ēs) “form, kind, sort” + -ālis adjective suffix; species, -al ¹, especial

Word History and Origins

Origin of special¹

C13: from Old French especial, from Latin speciālis individual, special, from speciēs appearance, species

Synonym Study

Special, particular, specific refer to something pointed out for attention and consideration. Special means given unusual treatment because of being uncommon: a special sense of a word. Particular implies something selected from the others of its kind and set off from them for attention: a particular variety of orchid. Specific implies plain and unambiguous indication of a particular instance, example, etc.: a specific instance of cowardice.

Example Sentences

Cuevas praised the school for being attentive to children with special needs.

From Los Angeles Times

Three days after troops poured over Ukraine’s borders, Vladimir Putin announced that Russia’s nuclear deterrence forces had been ordered into a “special mode of combat service”.

From BBC

Stem cells are special because they have the potential to replace other cell types as they die.

From Science Daily

Following the announcement on Monday afternoon that the judge overseeing Donald Trump's election interference case has ruled in favor of dismissal, shortly after special counsel Jack Smith filed a motion to drop the case, along with his classified documents case, Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate.

From Salon

The six-page filing that special counsel Jack Smith submitted Monday is surely one of the strangest requests a federal prosecutor has ever had to make.

From Slate

Related Words

• appropriate
• certain
• different
• exceptional
• exclusive
• extraordinary
• individual
• limited
• main
• major
• memorable
• particular
• peculiar
• personal
• primary
• proper
• rare
• significant
• specialized
• specific