SPECIAL | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
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English (UK)

Meaning of special in English

special
adjective
uk
/ˈspeʃ.əl/ us
/ˈspeʃ.əl/

special adjective (NOT USUAL)

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A2
not ordinary or usual:
The car has a number of special safety features.
Is there anything special that you'd like to do today?
Passengers should tell the airline in advance if they have any special dietary needs.
I don't expect special treatment - I just want to be treated fairly.
Full details of the election results will be published in a special edition of tomorrow's newspaper.
I have a suit for special occasions.
There's a special offer on peaches (UK also peaches are on special offer) (= they are being sold at a reduced price) this week.
A2
especially great or important, or having a quality that most similar things or people do not have:
Could I ask you a special favour?
I'm cooking something special for her birthday.
Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples
good or important because of unusual qualities
  • specialAre you doing anything special for your birthday?
  • exceptionalTheir standard of acting was very high but there was one exceptional performance.
  • outstandingHe accepted an award for outstanding achievement in baseball.
  • extraordinaryHer capacity to remember things is extraordinary.
  • deluxeThe salesman tried to sell us the deluxe model.
See more results »
More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Unique and unusual
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special adjective (PARTICULAR)

B1 [ before noun ]
having a particular purpose:
Firefighters use special breathing equipment in smoky buildings.
Some of the children have special educational needs.
You need special tyres on your car for snow.
She works as a special adviser to the president.
More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Particular and individual
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special
noun [ C ]
uk
/ˈspeʃ.əl/ us
/ˈspeʃ.əl/
a television programme that is made for a particular reason or occasion and is not part of a series:
a three-hour election night special
a dish that is available in a restaurant on a particular day that is not usually available:
Today's specials are written on the board.
mainly US
a product that is being sold at a reduced price for a short period:
Today's specials include T-shirts for only $2.99.
(also Special)
in the UK, a person who is not a paid member of the police force but who wears a police uniform and is trained to act as a police officer in certain situations:
Police officers are stressing the need for many more specials.
Two Specials attended the scene.
Synonym
special constable
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Broadcasting: programmes & other broadcasts
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
(Definition of special from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

special | American Dictionary

special
adjective
us
/ˈspeʃ·əl/

special adjective (NOT USUAL)

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not ordinary or usual:
a special occasion
special attention/treatment
The car has a number of special safety features.
Is there anything special you’d like to do today?
The magazine published a special anniversary issue.
Special can also mean unusually great or important:
You’re very special to me.

special adjective (PARTICULAR)

[ not gradable ]
having a particular purpose:
Kevin goes to a special school for the blind.
She’s a special correspondent for National Public Radio.
special
noun [ C ]
us
/ˈspeʃ·əl/

special noun [C] (THING NOT USUALLY AVAILABLE)

something that is not usually available:
There’s a two-hour special (= a television program that is not regularly shown) on the Olympics tonight.
Our restaurant’s specials today are pasta primavera, baked chicken with rice, and shrimp scampi (= these foods are not always sold).
A special is also the sale of goods at a reduced price:
The store had a special on lawn furniture this week.
(Definition of special from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

special | Business English

special
adjective
uk
/ˈspeʃəl/ us
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not ordinary or usual:
Hongkong has a special relationship with the world's financial markets.
having a particular purpose:
special representative/adviser/committee
special
noun [ C ]
uk
/ˈspeʃəl/ us
a product that is being sold at a reduced price for a short period:
a special on sth This week we have a special on children's toys.
(Definition of special from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of special

special
We are accordingly introducing a range of measures to improve the recruitment and retention of specials.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
The deployment of all police officers, whether regulars or specials, is a matter for chief officers.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
I met and listened to specials about the proposals in the working party report.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
As far as specials are concerned, work has been going on.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
We are considering all methods of bringing more people into the specials.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
All of us together can increase not just the number of specials but the important role that they play in the police service.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
I agree with what has been said about the excellent work of the specials and the depth of their interest and commitment.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
We also need to ensure that we increase the number of specials, which is a linked issue.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
Individual specials, of course, may have personal skills—in languages, for instance, or in other professional training—which can be put to good use by their force.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
More specials would be a positive contribution to law enforcement.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
The specials are men and women who are prepared to do something about the crime wave.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
Properly trained specials could also play a stronger role in supporting the regular force with back-up and patrol work.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
Many young people, both men and women, are coming forward to serve as specials.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
The specials would not be called in if there were a sufficient police force otherwise.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
I believe that we should double the police force and recruit specials.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
See all examples of special
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
What is the pronunciation of special?
 

Translations of special

in Chinese (Traditional)
不平常的, 特殊的，特別的, 不尋常的…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
不平常的, 特殊的，特别的, 不寻常的…
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in Spanish
especial, especial [singular], plato del día [masculine…
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in Portuguese
especial, oferta, específico/-ca…
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in more languages
in Marathi
in Japanese
in Turkish
in French
in Catalan
in Dutch
in Tamil
in Hindi
in Gujarati
in Danish
in Swedish
in Malay
in German
in Norwegian
in Urdu
in Ukrainian
in Russian
in Telugu
in Arabic
in Bengali
in Czech
in Indonesian
in Thai
in Vietnamese
in Polish
in Korean
in Italian
विशेष…
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特別な, 特殊な, 特別（とくべつ）な…
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özel, hususi, özgü…
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spécial/-ale, particulier/-ière, extraordinaire…
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especial…
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bijzonder, speciaal, extra…
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சாதாரண அல்லது வழக்கமான அல்ல, ஒரு குறிப்பிட்ட நோக்கம் கொண்ட…
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विशेष, असाधारण, स्पेशल…
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ખાસ, વિશેષ, વિશિષ્ટ…
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speciel, særlig, sær-…
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speciell, särskild, extra…
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istimewa, khas…
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besondere/-es/-er, Spezial-…, der Sonderzug…
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spesiell, spesial-, ekstraordinær…
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خاص, خصوصی…
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спеціальний, особливий, екстрений потяг…
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особенный, специальный, специальная…
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పత్యేకమైన, ప్రత్యేక…
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خاصّ…
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বিশেষ, সাধারণ বা স্বাভাবিক নয়…
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zvláštní, výjimečný, speciální…
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istimewa, khusus, sesuatu yang istimewa…
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พิเศษ, ที่จัดเตรียม, สิ่งที่พิเศษ…
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đặc biệt, riêng biệt, riêng…
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wyjątkowy, specjalny, specjalny program…
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특별한, (다른) 특별한…
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speciale, treno speciale…
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