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specialization

noun

Simple meaning

The structural adaptation of some body part for a particular function.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

spehshuhluhzayshuhn

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

spɛʃələˈzeɪʃən

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. The act of specializing; making something suitable for a special purpose

  2. The act or process of specializing.

  3. The area in which someone specializes.

  4. biology

    The structural adaptation of some body part for a particular function

  5. biology

    The adaptation of an organism to a specific environment, or adaptation of an organ to a particular function.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: The act of specializing; making something suitable for a special purpose

Used this way, specialization is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use specialization

  • “His specialization in animal behavior made him a great pet trainer.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

functional specializationgreater specializationregional specializationincreased specializationflexible specializationinternational specializationhemispheric specializationoccupational specialization

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • specialistnounPerson or profession

    An expert who is devoted to one occupation or branch of learning.

  • specialitynounDerived noun

    An asset of special worth or utility.

  • specializedadjectiveDerived adjective

    Developed or designed for a special activity or function.

  • specialisedadjectiveDerived adjective

    Developed or designed for a special activity or function.

  • speciallyadverbDerived adverb

    In a special manner.

  • specializeverbDerived verb

    Become more focused on an area of activity or field of study.

  • specialiseverbDerived verb

    Devote oneself to a special area of work.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: specializing

specialisation

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.