Phrase guide

special education

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of several educational services designed for students with learning difficulties, mental health problems, or other disabilities.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: special ed

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

education of physically or mentally handicapped children whose needs cannot be met in an ordinary classroom

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: education

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Basque: hezkuntza berezi — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Catalan: educació especial — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Chinese Mandarin: 特殊教育 (tèshū jiàoyù) — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Czech: speciální pedagogika — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Dutch: speciaal onderwijs — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Estonian: eripedagoogika — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Finnish: erityisopetus — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • French: transition — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • French: éducation spécialisée — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • French: enseignement spécialisé — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • German: Sonderpädagogik — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Hebrew: חינוך מיוחד (khinúkh m'yukhád) — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Hungarian: gyógypedagógia — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Italian: pedagogia speciale — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Kazakh: арнайы педагогика (arnaiy pedagogika) — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Polish: pedagogika specjalna — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Portuguese: educação especial — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Romanian: educație specială — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Romanian: învățământ special — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Russian: специальная педагогика (specialʹnaja pedagogika) — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Spanish: educación especial — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Spanish: educación diferencial — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Ukrainian: спеціальна освіта (specialʹna osvita) — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties
  • Vietnamese: giáo dục đặc biệt — educational services designed for students with learning difficulties