Dictionary › P › particular
particular
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As an adjective, particular means specific. As a noun, it means a small individual part of something larger.
Meanings of particular
21 meaningsadjective
Specific; discrete; concrete.
“I couldn't find the particular model you asked for, but I hope this one will do.”
“We knew it was named after John Smith, but nobody knows which particular John Smith.”
Specialised; characteristic of a specific person or thing.
“I don't appreciate your particular brand of cynicism.”
Distinguished in some way; special (often in negative constructions).
“My five favorite places are, in no particular order, New York, Chicago, Paris, San Francisco and London.”
“I didn't have any particular interest in the book.”
Of a person, concerned with, or attentive to, details; fastidious.
“He is very particular about his food and if it isn't cooked to perfection he will send it back.”
“These women are more particular about their appearance.”
Concerned with, or attentive to, details; minute; circumstantial; precise.
“a full and particular account of an accident”
lawContaining a part only; limited.
“a particular estate, or one precedent to an estate in remainder”
legalHolding a particular estate.
logicForming a part of a genus; relatively limited in extension; affirmed or denied of a part of a subject.
“a particular proposition, opposed to "universal", e.g. (particular affirmative) "Some men are wise"; (particular negative) "Some men are not wise".”
Separate and distinct from others of the same group or category
“interested in one particular artist”
“a man who wishes to make a particular woman fall in love with him”
Surpassing what is common or usual or expected
“he paid especial attention to her”
“exceptional kindness”
“a matter of particular and unusual importance”
Similar: especial, exceptional, specialFirst and most important
“his special interest is music”
“she gets special (or particular) satisfaction from her volunteer work”
Similar: specialProviding specific details or circumstances
“a particular description of the room”
Older and rare meanings (2)
obsoletePertaining only to a part of something; partial.
obsoleteKnown only to an individual person or group; confidential.
noun
A small individual part of something larger; a detail, a point.
now philosophychiefly in pluralA particular case; an individual thing as opposed to a whole class. (Opposed to generals, universals.)
A fact about some part (as opposed to general)
“he always reasons from the particular to the general”
Similar: specific(logic) a proposition that asserts something about some (but not all) members of a class
Similar: particular proposition
Older and rare meanings (1)
obsoleteA person's own individual case.
Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).