Specifics

/spɪˈsɪfɪks/

nounmediumCommonGeneral

Definitions

1

Precise details, facts, or items that pertain to a situation or subject.

/spɪˈsɪfɪks/

nounneutralmedium
General

Precise details or items

Could you give me the specifics of the proposal?

💡 Simply: When someone asks for the 'specifics', they want the *exact* details, like the ingredients in a recipe or the steps to follow to assemble something. Think of it like you are getting the exact details, like when you tell a friend all the things you did on your vacation, instead of just saying "It was great!"

👶 For kids: The exact details about something. Like, instead of saying "I ate lunch," you say "I ate a sandwich with cheese and ham." That's the specifics!

More Examples

2

The brochure lacked the specifics regarding the hotel's amenities.

3

She needed the specifics about the job requirements before applying.

4

The budget was criticized for not including the specifics of the expenditures.

How It's Used

Business

"The contract outlines the specifics of the agreement."

Journalism

"The report provided all the specifics of the incident."

Science

"They needed the specifics of the experiment to reproduce the results."

From Middle English specifical, from Latin specificus ('species-making'), from species ('kind, sort') + -ficus ('-making').

Historically used in legal and technical contexts, often to refer to the precise details of contracts or scientific experiments. Its usage became more widespread in the 20th century.

Memory tip

Think of the 'specifics' as the 'special facts' you need.

specifficsspeciphicsspecifcs

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written