[par.tic.u.lar.ism] n (1824) 1: exclusive or special devotion to a particular interest
2: a political theory that each political group has a right to promote its own interests and esp. independence without regard to the interests of larger groups
3: a tendency to explain complex social phenomena in terms of a single causative factor -- par.tic.u.lar.ist n or adj -- par.tic.u.lar.is.tic adj