noun · 5 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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK, US:/spɛsɪˈfɪsɪti/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:S P EH2 S AH0 F IH1 S AH0 T IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The state of being specific rather than general.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The extent to which a characteristic is specific to a given person, place, or thing; thus:
The probability, in a binary classification test, of a true negative being correctly identified.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Topics: mathematics, sciences, statistics
Examples
Coordinate term: sensitivity
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The extent to which a characteristic is specific to a given person, place, or thing; thus:
The extent to which a particular diagnostic test is specific for, or a symptom or sign is specific to, a given condition.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Topics: medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
the quality of being specific rather than general
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
add a desirable note of specificity to the discussion
the specificity of the symptoms of the disease
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: particularity, specialness
5
noun
Meaning 5
the quality of being specific to a particular organism
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
host specificity of a parasite
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: particularity, specialness
History
Etymology
From specific + -ity, perhaps modelled after French spécificité. First attested in 1829.
Across languages
Translations
26 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
специфичност
(specifičnost)
— the state of being specific rather than general
Catalan:
especificitat
— the state of being specific rather than general
Dutch:
specificiteit
— the state of being specific rather than general
Esperanto:
specifeco
— the state of being specific rather than general
Finnish:
erityisyys
— the state of being specific rather than general
Finnish:
täsmällisyys
— the state of being specific rather than general
French:
spécificité
— the state of being specific rather than general
Georgian:
სპეციფიკურობა
(sṗecipiḳuroba)
— the state of being specific rather than general
German:
Spezifizität
— the state of being specific rather than general
Hebrew:
ייחודיות \ יִחוּדִיּוּת
(yiḥudiyút)
— the state of being specific rather than general
Indonesian:
spesifisitas
— the state of being specific rather than general
Italian:
specificità
— the state of being specific rather than general
Polish:
specyfika
— the state of being specific rather than general
Polish:
specyficzność
— the state of being specific rather than general
Portuguese:
especificidade
— the state of being specific rather than general
Romanian:
specificitate
— the state of being specific rather than general
Russian:
специ́фика
(specífika)
— the state of being specific rather than general
Spanish:
especificidad
— the state of being specific rather than general
Tagalog:
katiyakan
— the state of being specific rather than general
Ukrainian:
специфіка
(specyfika)
— the state of being specific rather than general
Finnish:
tarkkuus
— (statistics) probability in a binary classification test of a true negative being correctly identified
French:
spécificité
— (statistics) probability in a binary classification test of a true negative being correctly identified
German:
Spezifität
— (statistics) probability in a binary classification test of a true negative being correctly identified
Hebrew:
סגוליות \ סְגֻלִּיּוּת
(sguliyút)
— (statistics) probability in a binary classification test of a true negative being correctly identified
Indonesian:
spesifisitas
— (statistics) probability in a binary classification test of a true negative being correctly identified
Romanian:
specificitate
— (statistics) probability in a binary classification test of a true negative being correctly identified
