What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Significant vs Specific - What's the difference?

significant | specific |

As adjectives the difference between significant and specific

is that significant is signifying something; carrying meaning while specific is explicit or definite.

As nouns the difference between significant and specific

is that significant is that which has significance; a sign; a token; a symbol while specific is a distinguishing attribute or quality.

significant

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Signifying something; carrying meaning.
    • a significant''' word or sound; a '''significant look
  • * Sir Walter Raleigh
    • It was well said of Plotinus, that the stars were significant , but not efficient.
  • Having a covert or hidden meaning.
  • Having a noticeable or major effect; notable.
    • That was a significant step in the right direction.
    The First World War was a significant event.
  • Reasonably large in number or amount.
  • (statistics) Having a low probability of occurring by chance (for example, having high correlation and thus likely to be related).

    • Related terms

    * significance * significant other * signify

    Synonyms

    * important

    Antonyms

    * insignificant * ignorable * negligible * slight

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • That which has significance; a sign; a token; a symbol.
    • (Wordsworth)
  • * Shakespeare
    • In dumb significants proclaim your thoughts.
    (Webster 1913) ----

    specific

    English

    Alternative forms

    * specifick (obsolete)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • explicit or definite
  • (sciences) Pertaining to a species.
  • *2008 , (Richard Dawkins), The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing , Oxford 2009, p. 3:
  • *:Science and literature, then, are the two achievements of Homo sapiens that most convincingly justify the specific name.
  • (taxonomy) pertaining to a taxon at the rank of species
  • special, distinctive or unique
  • intended for, or applying to a particular thing
  • being a remedy for a particular disease
    • Quinine is a specific medicine in cases of malaria.
  • * Coleridge
    • In fact, all medicines will be found specific in the perfection of the science.
  • (immunology) limited to a particular antibody or antigen
  • (physics) of a value divided by mass (e.g. specific orbital energy)
  • (physics) similarly referring to a value divided by any measure which acts to standardize it (e.g. thrust specific fuel consumption, referring to fuel consumption divided by thrust)
  • (physics) a measure compared with a standard reference value by division, to produce a ratio without unit or dimension (e.g. specific refractive index is a pure number, and is relative to that of air)

    • Antonyms

    * all-purpose * broad * general * general-purpose * generic * gross * nonspecific * overall * pandemic * universal * unspecific * widespread

    Derived terms

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    See also

    * generic

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A distinguishing attribute or quality.
  • Something particularly adapted for a particular use, as a remedy for a particular disorder
  • Specification
  • (in the plural) The details; particulars.

    • Derived terms

    *

    External links

    * * * ----