particularized

Particularized is the past participle form of the verb particularize and an adjective describing something made specific, detailed, or individualized rather than general or abstract. In ordinary use, a particularized description names specific persons, objects, events, or conditions, and may exclude others.

In legal and administrative writing, particularized findings, allegations, or grounds are valued for their specificity. A court may issue particularized findings of fact and conclusions of law, explaining the precise facts that support each legal ruling. In complaints or indictments, particularized allegations describe the exact conduct or circumstances alleged.

In logic and philosophy, to particularize a claim is to restrict it to a particular case or instance rather than asserting a universal generalization. In linguistics and semantics, particularization can refer to making reference more specific, though the term is more common in general prose than in technical theory.

In everyday language, a speaker or writer might give a particularized account of an event, a particularized risk assessment, or a particularized plan of action, highlighting details that distinguish it from a general description.

Etymology: from Latin particularis “of a particular kind” plus the English suffix -ize; the noun particular relates to a specific item or member of a set.

See also: particularize, particular, specificity, generalization, boilerplate.