1
as in particularly
in the specific case of one person or thing as distinguished from others
all employees, but especially the administrative assistants, will need to learn to use the new phone system
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in extremely
to a great degree
that university is especially strong in the sciences
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in notably
in regard to something mentioned explicitly or in detail
he especially minded the proposed changes to the work schedule
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of especially
Yet lawmakers continue to push policies that broadly cast suspicions, especially over Chinese nationals.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
Disappearing on the streets The problem of people who simply disappear while on the streets, especially elderly adults with dementia or other mental health problems, is a common complaint on social media.
—Sarah Moreno
updated April 29, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
Healthcare is a good example of this shift, especially given how high the stakes are.
—Bruce Broussard, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Over the years, names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Rory McIlroy, and Madonna have all spent time here, but the bigger story lately has been demand—especially from Americans—pushing prices up while available homes get harder to come by.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for especially
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
Disappearing on the streets The problem of people who simply disappear while on the streets, especially elderly adults with dementia or other mental health problems, is a common complaint on social media.
—Sarah Moreno
updated April 29, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
Healthcare is a good example of this shift, especially given how high the stakes are.
—Bruce Broussard, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Over the years, names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Rory McIlroy, and Madonna have all spent time here, but the bigger story lately has been demand—especially from Americans—pushing prices up while available homes get harder to come by.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for especially
Recent Examples of Synonyms for especially
Adverb
-
And second, the former Cup winner could have real value on the trade market, especially in a year in which the free-agent class (particularly at center) leaves much to be desired.—
Max Bultman,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The goal, council members said at the time, was to pursue limiting the total number of vacation rentals citywide, and particularly their concentration in the coastal region west of Interstate 5.—
Barbara Henry,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
These special releases can be extremely valuable, especially if only a small batch is issued.—
Nina Derwin,
Martha Stewart,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The innermost region of any solar system, closest to the parent star, will be extremely hot and subject to large amounts of radiation.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
New use for a common tool There are existing methods for collecting information on coffee’s chemical composition, most notably liquid or gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
28 Apr. 2026
-
And Anthropic, for its part, has had to take some cues from OpenAI—notably by making big and expensive data-center deals, such as an expansion in its partnership with Amazon Web Services.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The soldiers trained on both the Bumblebee V1, a small, first-person-view drone that has seen thousands of combat flights in Ukraine, and the newer Bumblebee V2, which has automatic target recognition specifically meant to counter other drones and which has not been deployed yet.—
Eleanor Watson,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Perkins did not hold any public meetings specifically for District 1 residents surrounding the data center and its accompanying financial plan, Cobb said.—
Ilana Arougheti
Updated April 28,
Kansas City Star,
28 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
No, that stuff is all incredible and very much the result of good fortune in my career.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
-
What a treat to have both of these very different revivals opening on Broadway in a matter of days.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Kinahan’s caution came too late.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Section Two of the 1965 Voting Rights Act aimed to prevent mapmakers from weakening the voting power of racial minorities by either packing them into one district or spreading them out across too many districts to have an impact.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The only way Simpson is pressed into starting duty is if something goes terribly wrong with Stafford.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Suzuki’s early struggles aren’t terribly alarming.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
And yes, in 2026, rage coming from either side of the aisle is an incredibly powerful tool for marketing.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
28 Apr. 2026
-
But there’s something incredibly unnatural about the fast attention of the internet.—
Charlie Harding,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Especially.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/especially. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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