The difference between Peculiar and Specific

When used as nouns, peculiar means that which is peculiar, whereas specific means a distinguishing attribute or quality.

When used as adjectives, peculiar means out of the ordinary, whereas specific means explicit or definite.

check bellow for the other definitions of Peculiar and Specific

  1. Peculiar as an adjective:

    Out of the ordinary; odd; strange; unusual.

    Examples:

    "The sky had a peculiar appearance before the storm."

    "It would be rather peculiar to see a kangaroo hopping down a city street."

  2. Peculiar as an adjective:

    Common or usual for a certain place or circumstance; specific or particular.

    Examples:

    "Kangaroos are peculiar to Australia."

  3. Peculiar as an adjective (dated):

    One's own; belonging solely or especially to an individual; not shared or possessed by others.

  4. Peculiar as an adjective (dated):

    Particular; individual; special; appropriate.

  1. Peculiar as a noun:

    That which is peculiar; a sole or exclusive property; a prerogative; a characteristic.

  2. Peculiar as a noun (UK, canon law):

    an ecclesiastical district, parish, chapel or church outside the jurisdiction of the bishop of the diocese in which it is situated.

  1. Specific as an adjective:

    explicit or definite

  2. Specific as an adjective (sciences):

    Pertaining to a species.

  3. Specific as an adjective (taxonomy):

    pertaining to a taxon at the rank of species

  4. Specific as an adjective:

    special, distinctive or unique

  5. Specific as an adjective:

    intended for, or applying to, a particular thing

  6. Specific as an adjective:

    being a remedy for a particular disease

    Examples:

    "Quinine is a specific medicine in cases of malaria."

  7. Specific as an adjective (immunology):

    limited to a particular antibody or antigen

  8. Specific as an adjective (physics):

    of a value divided by mass (e.g. specific orbital energy)

  9. Specific as an adjective (physics):

    similarly referring to a value divided by any measure which acts to standardize it (e.g. thrust specific fuel consumption, referring to fuel consumption divided by thrust)

  10. Specific as an adjective (physics):

    a measure compared with a standard reference value by division, to produce a ratio without unit or dimension (e.g. specific refractive index is a pure number, and is relative to that of air)

  1. Specific as a noun:

    A distinguishing attribute or quality.

  2. Specific as a noun:

    A remedy for a specific disease or condition.

  3. Specific as a noun:

    Specification

  4. Specific as a noun (in the plural):

    The details; particulars.

Compare words:

Compare with synonyms and related words: