SPECIFY Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

specify

verb

ˈspe-sə-ˌfī

Definition of specify

as in to define

to give the rules about (something) clearly and exactly the document specifies precisely how you may use the information it contains

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to mention

to make reference to or speak about briefly but specifically police reports didn't specify the model of car the robbers were driving

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of specify Two days after Marius was convicted, the palace said Mette-Marit had undergone a successful ⁠lung transplant, without specifying when the procedure took place. — Terje Solsvik, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 The federal report did not specify why the company was conducting the inspections. — ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026 Reitz did not specify if the Justice Department will invoke the Prize Act of 1812, the Captures Clause, or another law. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026 County staff also updated the definition to specify that a data center cannot be scattered across multiple locations. — Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for specify

Recent Examples of Synonyms for specify

Verb

Made for pretty much every texture, the airy foam gives fine-to-medium hair body without weighing it down, while helping define and smooth thicker waves and curls without sacrificing movement.

— Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 28 Aug. 2026
Drone warfare has become a defining feature in the country's war, with both sides carrying out strikes.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of define

Verb

Of the around 46 pieces that mentioned Vrabel or his teams, nearly a third were transactional moves about trades or hires.

— Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Black is mentioned repeatedly in files that the Justice Department has released related to the Epstein investigation.

— Joey Cappelletti, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of mention

Verb

Citing what an administrative law judge called egregious conduct, the DEA last month revoked Rubinger’s ability to prescribe opioids.

— Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
However, insurers are more likely to cover GLP-1 drugs when prescribed for Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea or to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.

— Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of prescribe

Verb

The performances made history as the biggest ever open-air concerts in the UK (the crowd numbered 125,000 both days) and are often cited as representing the pinnacle of the Britpop era.

— Devinder Bains, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026
The outlet, citing Jordan’s foreign ministry, reported that a number of Jordanians ⁠were on ⁠the bus, with initial information indicating that some were killed and injured.

— Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of cite

Verb

The scholar of religion Friedrich Max Müller (1823–1900) noticed that many Vedic hymns praise different deities using the same superlatives and ascribe to them the same mythological feats.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
These wild swings in the numbers came while residents here didn’t notice any change to the slow but steady arrival of newcomers in dilapidated coaches.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of notice

Verb

Meteorologists said the majority of model guidance does not indicate a credible hurricane threat to California during the second week of September.

— Doyle Rice, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
An internal company memo from around the time of the recovery mission — also obtained by CNBC — indicates Coupang coordinated the computer recovery at the behest of a high-ranking national security officer from the South Korean president’s office.

— Justin Papp, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of indicate

Verb

Andrew Brown, Park Forest’s assistant director of economic development and planning, notes that any applicant had to fall in the 60% income bracket of the six-county area of Chicago.

— Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
In line with that argument, reporting on California’s latest lawsuit underscores how central mail-in ballots have become, noting that more than 89% of voters used mail ballots in the state’s June primary.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of note

Verb

It was quoted in Wired; Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee supposedly put out an advisory warning in response; the FBI investigated the message as a potential threat.

— Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
For thousands of years, a seller at a market might have used visual and social cues — what a customer was wearing, what the seller knew about their family — to quote a price.

— Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of quote

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specifies

specify

specifying

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Specify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specify. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of specify

verb

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