particular
Noun pluralparticulars
Pluralparticulars
- 1About one exact thing, not just any thing of that kind.
Like pointing at one exact apple instead of any apple in the basket.
She had a particular reason for leaving the party early.
We looked at one particular street out of the whole city.
UsageOften comes after this, which or one: this particular street.
Similarspecific, individual, discrete
Oppositegeneral
Note
- 2Special or worth noticing in some way.
Like a day that stands out as different from all the ordinary ones.
Please pay particular attention to the last question.
Nothing particular happened at school today.
UsageYou often hear no particular reason and pay particular attention.
Similarspecial, notable, singular
Note
- 3Belonging to, or typical of, one certain person or thing.
Like a fingerprint that belongs to one person alone.
Grandpa had his own particular way of telling a joke.
The bird's particular song tells you which species it is.
UsageOften after my, his, her: his own particular way. Also particular to one place.
Similardistinctive, characteristic, individual, peculiar
Note
- 4
Less common meanings
- 5Hard to please because you care a lot about small things.
Like someone who checks every label twice before buying a snack.
He is very particular about how his desk is arranged.
She's particular about her coffee and sends it back if it's wrong.
UsageSay particular about something: particular about her coffee.
Similarfussy, choosy, fastidious, exacting, pedantic
Oppositeeasygoing, undemanding
Note
- 6Very exact and paying close attention to small details.
The old letter gives a full and particular account of the long trip west.
In court, she gave a full and particular description of the man she saw.
UsageUsed about reports and stories, often as full and particular.
Similarprecise, thorough, careful, meticulous
Oppositevague, cursory, sketchy
Note
- 7One single thing by itself, not a whole group of things.
Like one specific dog rather than the whole idea of dogs.
In philosophy, one single horse is a particular, not a universal.
Some thinkers say only particulars, like this cup, truly exist.
Oppositeuniversal
Note
- 8Known to only one person or group and kept secret.
or these domesticke and particular broiles, Are not the question heere.
c. 1603, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”Here, particular means private, kept within one group and not for others.Note
- 9A person's own private situation or affairs.
Since philosophy could never find any way for tranquillity that might be generally good, let every man in his particular seeke for it.
1603, Michel de Montaigne, The EssayesHere, particular means a person's own private case or situation.Note
- 10In logic, about some members of a group, at least one, without saying anything about all of them.
- 11Covering only part of something, not all of it, such as a right to land for a limited time.
- 12In law, holding land for only a limited time before it passes to another person.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
It comes through Old French from a Late Latin word meaning "partial" or "individual," based on the Latin word for a small part.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Particular comes through Old French. en.wiktionary.org
- Its source is Late Latin particularis, meaning partial or individual. en.wiktionary.org
- The Late Latin word derives from Latin particula, meaning a small part. en.wiktionary.org