What does "specifically" mean?

In a specific manner, applying to or naming a particular thing or things, expressly, explicitly.

What is a synonym for "specifically"?

Common synonyms include: antique, at length, categorically, clearly, completely, concretely.

Pronounced //spɪˈsɪf.ɪ.kli//.

//spɪˈsɪf.ɪ.kli// adv

adv ·Uncommon ·College level

Adverb

1
In a specific manner, applying to or naming a particular thing or things, expressly, explicitly.
"A provision of law may not be construed as requiring a new grant to be awarded to a specified non-Federal Government entity unless that provision of law (1) specifically refers to this subsection; specifically identifies the particular non-Federal Government entity involved; and (3) specifically states that the award to that entity is required by such provision of law in contravention of the policy set forth in subsection (a)."
2
For a specific purpose or reason.

Adverb

"The job advertisement specifically requested females."

From specific + -ally.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.