particularly

particularly — adverb

1. used to give extra attention to one person, thing, or part, or to show that some

1.adverbB1
Definition

used to give extra attention to one person, thing, or part, or to show that something is true to a stronger degree.

Example

Mina particularly enjoys quiet cafes near the river on rainy afternoons.

particularly + enjoy to single something out

The north room gets particularly cold after sunset in winter.

particularly + adjective for stronger degree

Common collocations
  • particularly enjoy
  • particularly like
  • particularly hard
  • particularly cold
  • particularly for
Synonyms
  • especially

    very close in meaning and often the most natural everyday alternative

  • specifically

    narrower and used more for exact details or exact purpose

  • notably

    more formal and often used in writing to mark something worth notice

  • exceptionally

    focuses more on an unusually high degree than on singling something out

Grammar Patterns

particularly + adjective

particularly + like/enjoy/love

particularly for + noun

Usage Note

Common before adjectives such as hard, useful, and important, and before verbs such as like, enjoy, and love. Before adjectives it usually raises the degree; before verbs or noun phrases it often singles out one choice from a larger group.

Common Mistakes

I very particularly like this cafe.
I particularly like this cafe.
particularly already adds emphasis here, so very is usually unnecessary.
I like all the cakes, particularly I choose the lemon one.
I like all the cakes, but I particularly like the lemon one.
particularly usually modifies the verb or adjective inside the clause, not a separate full clause.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

Particularly is a flexible everyday adverb for giving extra attention to one part of a situation or for raising the degree of a quality. Especially is very close and often interchangeable, but it more strongly suggests above all in a group. Specifically is narrower: it points to an exact detail, purpose, or item, and it is less natural for simple degree, so we say particularly cold more often than specifically cold. Notably is more formal and is common in writing when something deserves comment. Exceptionally focuses on an unusually high degree, not on singling something out. You might particularly enjoy a quiet beach, ask specifically for a window seat, or describe a child as exceptionally calm.

especially ↗specifically ↗notably ↗exceptionally ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • particularly cold
  • particularly hard
  • particularly important
  • particularly like
  • particularly enjoy

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Particularly was formed in English from particular plus the adverb ending -ly. Particular came through French from Latin particularis, based on a word meaning a small part. The adverb first kept the idea of one separate part, and later developed the sense of giving that part extra emphasis.