particular

English

Alternative forms

• perticular (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English particuler, from Anglo-Norman particuler, Middle French particuler, particulier, from Late Latin particularis (“partial; separate, individual”), from Latin particula (“(small) part”). Equivalent to particle +‎ -ar. Compare particle.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pəˈtɪk.jʊ.lə/
• (non-rhotic) IPA^(key): /pəˈtɪk.jə.lə/
• (rhotic) IPA^(key): /pɚˈtɪk.jə.lɚ/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /pɑrˈtɪk.jə.lɚ/
• (US, Canada, rhotic, r-dissimilation) IPA^(key): /pəˈtɪk.jə.lɚ/

  • Audio (Canada):

    (file)

• Hyphenation: par‧tic‧u‧lar
• Rhymes: -ɪkjʊlə(ɹ)

Adjective

particular (comparative more particular, superlative most particular) (also non-comparable)

1. (obsolete) Pertaining only to a part of something; partial.
2. Specific; discrete; concrete.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:specific

   Antonym: general

   I couldn't find the particular model you asked for, but I hope this one will do.

   We knew it was named after John Smith, but nobody knows which particular John Smith.

   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v]:

     I could a tale unfold whose lightest word / Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood, / Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres, / Thy knotted and combined locks to part / And each particular hair to stand on end

3. Specialised; characteristic of a specific person or thing.

   Synonyms: optimized, specialistic

   I don't appreciate your particular brand of cynicism.

   • 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Gardens”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:

     wheresoever one plant draweth such a particular juice out of the earth

4. (obsolete) Known only to an individual person or group; confidential.
   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:

     or these domesticke and particular broiles, Are not the question heere.

5. Distinguished in some way; special (often in negative constructions).

   My five favorite places are, in no particular order, New York, Chicago, Paris, San Francisco and London.

   I didn't have any particular interest in the book.

   He brought no particular news.

   She was the particular belle of the party.

   • 1986 February 15, Elizabeth Pincus, “The CDC: When Politics & Egos Hamper Saving Lives”, in Gay Community News, volume 14, number 39, page 1:

     Particular tension is documented among researchers in the AIDS Program Laboratory of the Center for Infectious Disease

6. (comparable) Of a person, concerned with, or attentive to, details; fastidious.

   Synonyms: minute, precise, fastidious; see also Thesaurus:fastidious

   He is very particular about his food and if it isn't cooked to perfection he will send it back.

   These women are more particular about their appearance.

   • 1929, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, When the World Screamed‎^[1], archived from the original on 8 October 2026:

     There is a scraper as well as a mat, and Mrs. Challenger is most particular.

7. Concerned with, or attentive to, details; minute; circumstantial; precise.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:meticulous

   a full and particular account of an accident

8. (law) Containing a part only; limited.

   a particular estate, or one precedent to an estate in remainder

9. (law) Holding a particular estate.
   • 1765–1769, William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, (please specify |book=I to IV), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC:

     a particular tenant

10. (logic) Forming a part of a genus; relatively limited in extension; affirmed or denied of a part of a subject.

    a particular proposition, opposed to "universal", e.g. (particular affirmative) "Some men are wise"; (particular negative) "Some men are not wise".

Derived terms

• antiparticularism
• antiparticularist
• in particular
• monoparticular
• nanoparticular
• nonparticular
• overparticular
• particular average
• particular Church
• particular council
• particular integral
• particularisation
• particularism
• particularist
• particularity
• particularization
• particularize
• particularly
• particularness
• particulars (pl.)
• unparticular

Translations

partial — see partial

specific; discrete; concrete

• Belarusian: асо́бны (be) (asóbny), прыва́тны (pryvátny)
• Bulgarian: особен (bg) (osoben), специфичен (bg) (specifičen)
• Catalan: particular (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Esperanto: aparta (eo)
• Finnish: nimenomainen, yksittäinen (fi)
• Galician: particular (gl) m or f
• German: speziell (de), bestimmt (de), spezifisch (de), genau (de), einzeln (de)
• Hungarian: konkrét (hu), bizonyos (hu)
• Irish: sonrach
• Italian: specifico (it)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: تایبەتی (taybetî)

• Latin: speciālis
• Malay: tertentu
• Māori: tētahi
• Norwegian: bestemt
• Polish: konkretny (pl)
• Portuguese: específico (pt), particular (pt)
• Quechua: waki
• Romanian: particular (ro) m or n
• Russian: конкре́тный (ru) (konkrétnyj), отде́льный (ru) (otdélʹnyj), ча́стный (ru) (částnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: air leth
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: спецѝфичан, појѐдӣнӣ, ко̀нкретан

  Latin: specìfičan (sh), pojèdīnī (sh), kònkretan (sh)

• Spanish: particular (es)
• Telugu: ప్రత్యేక (te) (pratyēka)
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: مخصوص (mahsus), خصوصی (hususî)

• Ukrainian: конкре́тний (konkrétnyj), окре́мий (uk) (okrémyj), прива́тний (pryvátnyj)

specialised; characteristic of a specific person or thing

• Bulgarian: характерен (bg) (harakteren)
• Catalan: propi (ca)
• Finnish: erityinen (fi), ominainen (fi)
• Galician: propio (gl)
• German: besonders (de), besonderer (de), charakteristisch (de), spezifisch (de), speziell (de)
• Italian: proprio (it), particolare (it)
• Japanese: 特別 (ja) (tokubetsu), 特有 (ja) (tokuyū), 独特 (ja) (dokutoku)
• Latin: proprius (la)
• Malayalam: ഒരിനം (ml) (orinaṁ)
• Mongolian: онцлогтой (onclogtoi)
• Polish: specyficzny (pl)
• Portuguese: próprio (pt), particular (pt)
• Romanian: particular (ro) m or n, specific (ro) m or n, caracteristic (ro) m or n
• Russian: характерный (ru) (xarakternyj), специфи́ческий (ru) (specifíčeskij), осо́бый (ru) (osóbyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: air leth
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: مخصوص (mahsus), خصوصی (hususî)

• Ukrainian: специфі́чний (specyfíčnyj), особли́вий (osoblývyj)

known only to an individual person or group — see confidential

distinguished in some way; special

• Belarusian: спецыя́льны (spjecyjálʹny), асаблі́вы (be) (asablívy)
• Bengali: বিশেষ (bn) (biśeś)
• Bulgarian: специа́лен (bg) (speciálen)
• Catalan: particular (ca), especial (ca)
• Finnish: erityinen (fi)
• German: bestimmt (de), besonderer (de), speziell (de), besonders (de), herausgehoben (de), spezifisch (de)
• Irish: ar leith
• Italian: speciale (it)
• Malay: tertentu
• Plautdietsch: besonda
• Portuguese: especial (pt)
• Romanian: special (ro) m or n
• Russian: специа́льный (ru) (speciálʹnyj), осо́бенный (ru) (osóbennyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: air leth
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: wósebny

• Ukrainian: спеціа́льний (uk) (speciálʹnyj), особли́вий (osoblývyj)

of a person, concerned with, or attentive to, details — see also fussy,‎ maniacal

• Bulgarian: придирчив (bg) (pridirčiv), взискателен (bg) (vziskatelen)
• Finnish: pikkutarkka (fi), tarkka (fi)
• German: sorgfältig (de), penibel (de), genau (de), pingelig (de), eigen (de), wählerisch (de), anspruchsvoll (de), etepetete (de),

concerned with, or attentive to, details; minute; precise; fastidious

• Bulgarian: подробен (bg) (podroben), обстоятелствен (bg) (obstojatelstven)
• Catalan: minuciós (ca)
• Finnish: yksityiskohtainen (fi), tarkka (fi)
• German: eigen (de), kleinlich (de), wählerisch (de), genau (de), minutiös (de), wählerisch (de), penibel (de), pingelig (de), sorgfältig (de)
• Irish: meonúil
• Italian: minuzioso (it)
• Portuguese: minucioso (pt)
• Russian: разборчивый (ru) (razborčivyj), щепетильный (ru) (ščepetilʹnyj), привере́дливый (ru) (priverédlivyj)

legal: containing a part only

• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: osittainen (fi)

legal: holding a particular estate

• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: osa- (fi) (e.g. particular tenant - "osavuokralainen")

logic: forming a part of a genus

• Arabic: خاص (ḵāṣ)
• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: erityinen (fi), partikulaari (fi)
• French: particulier (fr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} specifiek (nl) (1), ^{(please verify)} bepaald (nl) (1), ^{(please verify)} nauwkeurig (nl) (2), ^{(please verify)} nauwgezet (nl) (2), ^{(please verify)} precies (nl) (2)
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} speciala (eo) (1)
• Irish: ^{(please verify)} cuntasach
• Norman: ^{(please verify)} partitchulyi (Jersey)
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} tikel (tr) (1), ^{(please verify)} kısmi (tr) (2)

Further reading

• “particular”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Noun

particular (plural particulars)

1. A small individual part of something larger; a detail, a point. [from 15th c.]
   • 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “Several Contrivances of the Author to Please the King and Queen. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part II (A Voyage to Brobdingnag), page 259:

     I did not omit even our Sports and Paſtimes, or any other Particular which I thought might redound to the Honour of my Country.

2. (obsolete) A person's own individual case. [16th–19th c.]
   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 16, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

     Since philosophy could never find any way for tranquillity that might be generally good, let every man in his particular seeke for it.

   • 1658, Henry Hammond, Whole Duty of Man:

     temporal blessings, whether such as concern the public […] or such as concern our particular

3. (now philosophy, chiefly in plural) A particular case; an individual thing as opposed to a whole class. (Opposed to generals, universals.) [from 17th c.]
   • 1912, Bertrand Russel, The Problems of Philosophy, Chapter 9:

     When we examine common words, we find that, broadly speaking, proper names stand for particulars, while other substantives, adjectives, prepositions, and verbs stand for universals.

Derived terms

• bill of particulars
• London particular

Related terms

• universal
• for one's particular

Translations

small part

• Bulgarian: детайл (bg) m (detajl), подробност (bg) f (podrobnost)
• Finnish: yksityiskohta (fi)

person's own individual case

• Finnish: yksilö (fi)

philosophy: individual thing as opposed to a whole class

• Finnish: partikulaari (fi), yksilökäsite
• Turkish: tikel (tr)

Catalan

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin particulāris.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Central) [pər.ti.kuˈlar]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [pər.ti.kuˈla]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [paɾ.ti.kuˈlaɾ]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [par.ti.kuˈlar]

Adjective

particular m or f (masculine and feminine plural particulars)

1. private
2. particular

Derived terms

• particularment

Noun

particular m (plural particulars)

1. individual
2. subject, matter, issue

Related terms

• partícula
• particularitat

Further reading

• “particular”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “particular”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “particular” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “particular”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Old Galician-Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin particulāris.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paɾtikuˈlaɾ/
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Hyphenation: par‧ti‧cu‧lar

Adjective

particular m or f (plural particulares)

1. particular; specific

Descendants

• Fala: particulal
• Galician: particular
• Portuguese: particular

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “particular”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “particular”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *perh₃-

Proto-Indo-European *-tós

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *-tis

Proto-Indo-European *pérh₃tis?

Proto-Italic *partis

Latin pars

Proto-Indo-European *-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-elós

Proto-Italic *-elos

Proto-Italic *-kelos

Latin -cula

Latin particula

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Latin -āris

Latin particulārislbor.

Old Galician-Portuguese particular

Portuguese particular

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese particular, borrowed from Latin particulāris, corresponding to partícula +‎ -ar.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /paʁ.t͡ʃi.kuˈlaʁ/ [pah.t͡ʃi.kuˈlah]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /paʁ.t͡ʃi.kuˈlaʁ/ [pah.t͡ʃi.kuˈlah]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /paɾ.t͡ʃi.kuˈlaɾ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /paʁ.t͡ʃi.kuˈlaʁ/ [paχ.t͡ʃi.kuˈlaχ]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /paɻ.t͡ʃi.kuˈlaɻ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɐɾ.ti.kuˈlaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɐɾ.ti.kuˈlaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɐɾ.ti.kuˈla.ɾi/

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: par‧ti‧cu‧lar

Adjective

particular m or f (plural particulares, comparable, comparative mais particular, superlative o mais particular or particularíssimo)

1. private (concerning, accessible or belonging to an individual person or group)
   • 2003, J. K. Rowling, translated by Lia Wyler, Harry Potter e a Ordem da Fênix [Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix] (Harry Potter; 5), Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, →ISBN, page 400:

     Não devia estar num quarto particular?

     Shouldn't he be in a private room?

2. private (not belonging to the government)

   Synonym: privado

   Antonym: público

3. particular; specific

   Synonym: específico

4. particular; distinguished; exceptional

   Synonym: excepcional

Derived terms

• em particular

Related terms

• partícula

Descendants

• → Hunsrik: partikulaar

Further reading

• “particular”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “particular”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *perh₃-

Proto-Indo-European *-tós

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *-tis

Proto-Indo-European *pérh₃tis?

Proto-Italic *partis

Latin pars

Proto-Indo-European *-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-elós

Proto-Italic *-elos

Proto-Italic *-kelos

Latin -cula

Latin particula

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Latin -āris

Latin particularislbor.

German partikularbor.

Romanian particular

Learned borrowing from Latin particularis, or borrowed from German partikular. By surface analysis, particulă + -ar.

Adjective

particular m or n (feminine singular particulară, masculine plural particulari, feminine/neuter plural particulare)

1. private

Declension

Declension of particular

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	particular		particulară	particulari	particulare
	definite	particularul		particulara	particularii	particularele
genitive- dative	indefinite	particular		particulare	particulari	particulare
	definite	particularului		particularei	particularilor	particularelor

Noun

particular m (plural particulari)

1. private person

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	particular	particularul	particulari	particularii
genitive-dative	particular	particularului	particulari	particularilor
vocative	particularule		particularilor

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *perh₃-

Proto-Indo-European *-tós

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *-tis

Proto-Indo-European *pérh₃tis?

Proto-Italic *partis

Latin pars

Proto-Indo-European *-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-elós

Proto-Italic *-elos

Proto-Italic *-kelos

Latin -cula

Latin particula

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Latin -āris

Latin particulārislbor.

Spanish particular

Learned borrowing from Latin particulāris.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paɾtikuˈlaɾ/ [paɾ.t̪i.kuˈlaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: par‧ti‧cu‧lar

Adjective

particular m or f (masculine and feminine plural particulares)

1. specific, particular

   Synonyms: concreto, específico

2. peculiar, strange

   Synonyms: raro, extraño

3. personal

   Synonym: personal

4. private

   Synonym: privado

Derived terms

• clases particulares
• en particular
• particularismo
• particularista
• particularizar
• particularmente
• sin otro particular
• voto particular

Related terms

• partícula
• particularidad

Noun

particular m (plural particulares)

1. individual, private citizen

Further reading

• “particular”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025