Loading page
say it: SPESH-uhl
special is an adjective and noun meaning "unique or specific to a person or thing or category". It carries 10 recorded senses.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
“the particular demands of the job”
“has a particular preference for Chinese art”
“a peculiar bond of sympathy between them”
“an expression peculiar to Canadians”
“rights peculiar to the rich”
“the special features of a computer”
“my own special chair”
for a special service or occasion
“a special correspondent”
“a special adviser to the committee”
“had to get special permission for the event”
surpassing what is common or usual or expected
“he paid especial attention to her”
“exceptional kindness”
“a matter of particular and unusual importance”
“a special occasion”
“a special reason to confide in her”
“what's so special about the year 2000?”
adapted to or reserved for a particular purpose
“a special kind of paint”
“a special medication for arthritis”
first and most important
“his special interest is music”
“she gets special (or particular) satisfaction from her volunteer work”
added to a regular schedule
“a special holiday flight”
“put on special buses for the big game”
a special offering (usually temporary and at a reduced price) that is featured in advertising
“they are having a special on pork chops”
a dish or meal given prominence in e.g. a restaurant
a television production that features a particular person or work or topic
“the last of a series of BBC specials on Iran is being shown tonight”
Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.
Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for special come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.