particular

¹par·tic·u·lar

adj \pə(r)-ˈti-kyə-lər, -k(ə-)lər\

Definition of PARTICULAR

1

: of, relating to, or being a single person or thing <the particular person I had in mind>

2

obsolete : partial

3

: of, relating to, or concerned with details <gave us a very particular account of the trip>

4

a : distinctive among other examples or cases of the same general category : notably unusual <suffered from measles of particular severity> b : being one unit or element among others <particular incidents in a story>

5

a : denoting an individual member or subclass in logic b : affirming or denying a predicate to a part of the subject —used of a proposition in logic <“some men are wise” is a particular affirmative>

6

a : concerned over or attentive to details : meticulous <a very particular gardener> b : nice in taste : fastidious c : hard to please : exacting

Examples of PARTICULAR

1. The computer program will be of particular interest to teachers.
2. Pay particular attention to the poet's choice of words.
3. Our teacher is very particular when it comes to punctuation.

Origin of PARTICULAR

Middle English particuler, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin particularis, from Latin particula small part

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to PARTICULAR

Synonyms: choosy (or choosey), dainty, delicate, demanding, exacting, fastidious, finical, finicking, fussbudgety, fussy, nice, old-maidish, finicky, pernickety [chiefly British], persnickety, picky

Antonyms: undemanding, unfastidious, unfussy

Related Words: hyperfastidious, overdemanding, ultrafastidious; discerning, discriminating, selective; insightful, knowledgeable; captious, carping, caviling (or cavilling), critical, faultfinding, hypercritical, overcritical; careful, meticulous, painstaking, punctilious, scrupulous; queasy (also queazy), squeamish; peevish, petulant, prickly, touchy; niminy-piminy, prim, prissy

Near Antonyms: affable, breezy, carefree, devil-may-care, happy-go-lucky, lackadaisical, laid-back, low-pressure, relaxed; flexible, lax, loose; lenient, permissive; uncritical; indiscriminating, undiscriminating

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See Synonym Discussion at circumstantial, special

Rhymes with PARTICULAR

acicular, articular, auricular, canicular, clavicular, curricular, cuticular, fascicular, follicular, funicular, lenticular, navicular, orbicular, ossicular, radicular, reticular, testicular, vehicular, ventricular, vermicular, versicular, vesicular