What does "particularity" mean?
A particular thing.
Particularity
/pəˌtɪkjʊˈlæɹɪti/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A particular thing.
- Grammar: particularity is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: accuracy, aroma, attention to detail, attribute.
- Useful contrasts: abstract concept, universal humanity, abstraction.
- Usage evidence: It is not necessary for the determinist to maintain that he can foresee the whole particularity of the act which will be performed.
How to use "particularity"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "particularity" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "particularity" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "particularity" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "particularity" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "particularity" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accuracy" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "particularity", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A particular thing. countable, uncountable
"In this particularity vvhereof vve novv ſpeake, ſee hovv his Mercy and Truth are met together, and doe moſt lovingly embrace each other."
- 2 the quality of being particular and pertaining to a specific case or instance wordnet
- 3 A distinctive characteristic or quality; a peculiarity. countable, uncountable
"Donny’s obsession for trains is just a harmless particularity of his."
- 4 A particular case or matter. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Novv let the generall Trumpet blovv his blaſt, / Particularities, and pettie ſounds / To ceaſe."
- 5 The condition of being particular rather than general or universal; specificity. countable, uncountable
"But true Religion sprung from God above / Is like her fountain full of charity, / […] / [F]ree, large, even infinite, / Not wedg'd in strait particularity, / But grasping all in her vast active spright, / Bright lamp of God! that men would joy in thy pure light!"
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 The condition of being particular rather than general or universal; specificity.; The doctrine of the incarnation of God as Jesus occurring at a particular place and time. countable, uncountable
- 7 The condition of being particular rather than general or universal; specificity.; Synonym of particularism (“the principle that only certain people are chosen by God for salvation”). Judaism, countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 8 Attention to detail; fastidiousness. countable, uncountable
"There is no part of the Goſpel vvrit vvith ſo copious a Particularity, as the Hiſtory of his [Jesus's] Sufferings and Death; as there vvas indeed no part of the Goſpel ſo important as this is."
- 9 The condition of being special; peculiarity, specialness. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"To pass my evenings in so sweet a conversation, and have the esteem of a woman of your merit, has in it a particularity of happiness no more to be expressed than returned."
- 10 The condition of being special in an unexpected way; oddness, strangeness; (countable) an instance of this. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"No man ought to be tolerated in a habitual humour, whim, or particularity of behaviour, by any who do not wait upon him for bread."
- 11 The paying of particular close attention to someone; (countable) an instance of this. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Whenever they met, they talked to each other aloud, chose each other partner at balls, saluted at the most conspicuous parts of the service of the church, and practised, in honour of each other, all the remarkable particularities which are usual for persons who admire one another, and are contemptible to the rest of the world."
Antonyms
Example
"It is not necessary for the determinist to maintain that he can foresee the whole particularity of the act which will be performed."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "particularity"?
Common synonyms include: accuracy, aroma, attention to detail, attribute, badge, brand.
How do you use "particularity" in a sentence?
It is not necessary for the determinist to maintain that he can foresee the whole particularity of the act which will be performed.
How do you pronounce "particularity"?
Pronounced /pəˌtɪkjʊˈlæɹɪti/.
Etymology
From Middle French particularité (“part of a whole; something particular, particularity”) (modern French particularité), and from its etymon Late Latin particularitas (“fact or quality of being particular; something particular, particularity”), from Latin particulāris (“particular; partial”) + -tās (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns indicating a state of being). Particulāris is derived from particula (“particle, small part”) (from pars (“a part, piece, portion, share”) (probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *perh₃- (“to provide, produce, beget”)) + -cula (diminutive suffix)) + -āris (suffix denoting a relationship, forming adjectives). The English word is analysable as particular + -ity (suffix forming nouns from adjectives, referring to the properties, qualities, or states of what is denoted by the adjectives).