specificity
noun
specĀ·iĀ·ficĀ·iĀ·ty
| \ Ėspe-sÉ-Ėfi-sÉ-tÄ
\
\
Definition of specificity
: the quality or condition of being specific: such as
a
: the condition of being peculiar to a particular individual or group of organisms
host specificity of a parasite
b
: the condition of participating in or catalyzing only one or a few chemical reactions
the specificity of an enzyme
Keep scrolling for more
Examples of specificity in a Sentence
I was impressed by the specificity of her instructions.
the specificity of your description of your medical condition was a bit more than I needed
Recent Examples on the Web
The team would not elaborate with more specificity about Peacockās right shoulder, which, the Astros recently divulged, has flared up throughout the season. — Hunter Atkins, Houston Chronicle, "Astros not elaborating on Brad Peacock's MRI results," 29 Aug. 2019 Both despite and because of the specificity of their settings, her characters evince fears and desires and pain that then consume the reader. — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "Toni Morrisonās Kaleidoscopic Vision of Literature," 6 Aug. 2019 But the specificity and the exact wording of this question matters. — Karn Manhas, Quartz at Work, "What if you posed your companyās mission statement as a question?," 2 July 2019 Online threats: Context and specificity are important when law enforcement makes arrests because of threats, cleveland.comās Eric Heisig reports. — Cliff Pinckard, cleveland.com, "Sources say talks could lead to release of 500 Cuyahoga County Jail inmates: The Wake Up for Friday, Aug. 16, 2019," 16 Aug. 2019 The film vibrates with texture, color, and ethnic specificity. — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, "Honeyland Is a Stinging Allegory for Man-Made Disaster," 9 Aug. 2019 All of it contrasts painfully with the specificity of the name and date of death of the unseen migrant. — Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, "āBest of Luck with the Wallā Puts the Borderlands Back in Context," 5 Aug. 2019 Take note that the specificity of this list shouldnāt discourage you from seeking out other lucrative secondary market opportunities. — Amy Elliott, Good Housekeeping, "Your Madame Alexander Dolls Could Be Worth Thousands," 8 July 2019 The process suggests that knowledge has been obtained, but in fact there is not much more here than staggering specificity and a quantity of numbers significant enough to support statistical probability. — Barry Lopez, Harper's magazine, "Polar Light," 10 Jan. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'specificity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for specificity
specificity
noun
English Language Learners Definition of specificity
formal
: the quality of being specific
See the full definition for specificity in the English Language Learners Dictionary
specificity
noun
specĀ·iĀ·ficĀ·iĀ·ty
| \ Ėspes-É-Ėfis-Ét-Ä
\
\
plural specificities
Medical Definition of specificity
: the quality or condition of being specific: as
a
: the condition of being peculiar to a particular individual or group of organisms
host specificity of a parasite
b
: the condition of participating in or catalyzing only one or a few chemical reactions
the specificity of an enzyme