specific
Americanadjective
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having a special application, bearing, or reference; specifying, explicit, or definite.
to state one's specific purpose.
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specified, precise, or particular.
a specific sum of money.
- Antonyms:
- vague
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peculiar or proper to somebody or something, as qualities, characteristics, effects, etc..
His specific problems got him into trouble.
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of a special or particular kind.
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concerned specifically with the item or subject named (used in combination).
The Secretary addressed himself to crop-specific problems.
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Biology. of or relating to a species.
specific characters.
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Medicine/Medical.
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(of a disease) produced by a special cause or infection.
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(of a remedy) having special effect in the prevention or cure of a certain disease.
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Immunology. (of an antibody or antigen) having a particular effect on only one antibody or antigen or affecting it in only one way.
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Commerce. noting customs or duties levied in fixed amounts per unit, as number, weight, or volume.
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Physics.
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designating a physical constant that, for a particular substance, is expressed as the ratio of the quantity in the substance to the quantity in an equal volume of a standard substance, as water or air.
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designating a physical constant that expresses a property or effect as a quantity per unit length, area, volume, or mass.
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noun
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something specific, as a statement, quality, detail, etc.
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Medicine/Medical. a specific remedy.
There is no specific for the common cold.
adjective
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explicit, particular, or definite
please be more specific
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relating to a specified or particular thing
a specific treatment for arthritis
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of or relating to a biological species
specific differences
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(of a disease) caused by a particular pathogenic agent
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physics
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characteristic of a property of a particular substance, esp in relation to the same property of a standard reference substance
specific gravity
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characteristic of a property of a particular substance per unit mass, length, area, volume, etc
specific heat
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(of an extensive physical quantity) divided by mass
specific heat capacity
specific volume
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Also (rare): specifical. commerce denoting a tariff levied at a fixed sum per unit of weight, quantity, volume, etc, irrespective of value
noun
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(sometimes plural) a designated quality, thing, etc
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med any drug used to treat a particular disease
Related Words
See special.
Other Word Forms
- nonspecifically adverb
- prespecific adjective
- prespecifically adverb
- specifically adverb
- specificity noun
- unspecific adjective
- unspecifically adverb
Etymology
Origin of specific
First recorded in 1625–35; from Medieval Latin specificus, equivalent to Latin speci(ēs) species + -ficus -fic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Software developers can use Claude Code and other similar applications as part of their daily workflow to help with specific tasks.
From BBC
The study, published in Nature Communications, challenges long-held ideas about how cells organize and deliver proteins to specific locations.
From Science Daily
Some are mentally soothed by repeating specific words or phrases, a phenomenon known as echolalia, which can be misinterpreted by someone unfamiliar with the trait as mocking or uncooperative.
From Los Angeles Times
Their supergenes help preserve the specific adaptations needed for those conditions.
From Science Daily
While the canning process preserved the outer structure of the worms, it destroyed the internal features scientists would need to identify specific species.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
