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Specific vs Spectacular - What's the difference?

specific | spectacular |

As adjectives the difference between specific and spectacular

is that specific is explicit or definite while spectacular is amazing or worthy of special notice.

As nouns the difference between specific and spectacular

is that specific is a distinguishing attribute or quality while spectacular is a spectacular display.

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

    * * * ----

    spectacular

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Amazing or worthy of special notice
    • The parachutists were spectacular .
  • (dated) Related to, or having the character of, a spectacle or entertainment
    • the merely spectacular
  • * G. Hickes
    • Spectacular sports.
  • * {{quote-news, 1910, August 21, Andre Tridon, Europe Flirts with Argentina to Win Her Rich Trade, The New York Times citation
    • , passage=Those apparently insignificant events which really make history are seldom featured in the press; the merely spectacular too frequently crowds the essential out of the public sheets.}}
  • Relating to spectacles, or glasses for the eyes.

    • Derived terms

    * spectacularly * unspectacular

    Related terms

    * spectacle * species * speculate

    External links

    * *

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A spectacular display.
  • * 2010 , "Under the volcano", The Economist , 16 Oct 2010:
    • Though business has more or less held up so far, a series of drug-related spectaculars sparked an exodus of the city's upper class this summer.