specificity
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specificity
- /spɛsɪˈfɪsɪti/ UK, US
Where it comes from
From specific + -ity, perhaps modelled after French spécificité. First attested in 1829.
noun specificities
- The state of being specific rather than general. Congress must set a clear standard: Police should prove with specificity what's on your phone before forcing it open, and only after the device's owner has consulted with a lawyer. Doing so would provide citizens a means to ensure police follow warrant requirements without sacrificing law enforcemen
- The probability, in a binary classification test, of a true negative being correctly identified. Coordinate term: sensitivity
- The extent to which a particular diagnostic test is specific for, or a symptom or sign is specific to, a given condition.
Similar: specificness, individuality, particularity, peculiarity, propriety, singularity, specialty, specificity · Opposite: nonspecificity, genericity
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: specific, distinctiveness, concrete, particular, accuracy, precise, precision, accurate, realization, characteristic, individuality, concreteness, difference, uniqueness, peculiarity, singularity
noun
Similar: specificness, individuality, particularity, peculiarity, propriety, singularity, specialty, specificity · Opposite: nonspecificity, genericity
Translations
Every language
noun the state of being specific rather than general
| Español | especificidad |
|---|---|
| Português | especificidade |
| Français | spécificité |
| Deutsch | Spezifizität |
| Italiano | specificità |
| Română | specificitate |
| Русский | специ́фика specífika |
| עברית | ייחודיות \ יִחוּדִיּוּת yiḥudiyút |
noun (statistics) probability in a binary classification test of a true negative being correctly identified
| Français | spécificité |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Spezifität |
| Română | specificitate |
| עברית | סגוליות \ סְגֻלִּיּוּת sguliyút |
Talk about this word "specificity." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/specificity. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. specificity. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/specificity "specificity." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/specificity.Cite this
@misc{specificity_2026,
title = {specificity},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/specificity},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
