spe ‧ cial ‧ ly /ˈspeʃ ə li/ BrE AmE adverb
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ special , ↑ specialist , SPECIALITY/SPECIALTY , ↑ specialization , ↑ specialism ; adjective : ↑ special , ↑ specialized ; verb : ↑ specialize ; adverb : ↑ specially ]
1 . for one particular purpose, and only for that purpose:
specially trained police dogs
specially designed/built/made etc
The boats are specially built for the disabled.
2 . spoken much more than usual, or much more than other people or things SYN especially :
He specially liked the pie.
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THESAURUS
▪ especially/particularly used when you want to emphasize that something concerns or affects one person or thing more than others, or is true about a particular situation more than others:
This disease mostly affects women, particularly older women.
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Paris is always full of tourists, especially in the summer.
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It’s not easy to receive compliments, especially if you’re not used to them.
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The surface is very slippery, particularly when it has been raining.
▪ specially spoken especially:
I like parks, specially when they’ve got lakes.
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You have to be careful what you say, specially if there are children listening.
▪ in particular especially – used before or after a noun. Often used in the phrases anyone/anything/anywhere in particular and someone/something/somewhere in particular :
Mary loves most classical music, in particular Bach and Vivaldi.
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Kids in particular will love this show.
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Is there anything in particular you would like to eat?
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Was there someone in particular you were hoping to meet?
▪ notably formal used for saying someone or something is an important example of what you are talking about:
The use of illegal drugs – notably marijuana – has increased in recent years.
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A number of respected philosophers, most notably Leibniz, criticized Newton’s theories.
▪ above all used for emphasizing that something is more important than all the other things you have mentioned:
Get plenty of sleep, eat lots of good food, and above all try to relax.
▪ most of all more than anything or anyone else:
Swimming and soccer are fun, but I like dancing most of all.
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Out of everybody at school she was the person who helped me most of all.