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special

special

209 2.3
A television or radio program shown outside the regular schedule about one subject
  • noun
  • /ˈspɛʃəl/
: especial
  • I watched Werewolf by Night, a Marvel Comics special on Disney Plus.
  • a TV special
  • a television special
  • a PBS special

OK, there was no special on BBC or.

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Examples

  • The Pretty Little Liars Season 3 Halloween special turned out to be a total shock-fest.

    Blog text (5)
  • Cinderella was produced for the third time as a television special in 1997.

    Academic text (2002)
  • I watched your comedy special and the latest one.

  • Your brilliant new Netflix special is called Nothing Personal.

  • All appearing live tonight... on American Politics Election Special.

  • Luckily, there was a Fox Network special on about the California adult movie industry.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • On the TV, a special on the war began, and Clint sat down to watch it.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • NBC aired one of their specials late last week.

  • A deal was concluded with the Discovery Channel, which would air a nationwide prime-time documentary special during the Easter weekend.

    Academic text (2003)
  • I tuned in last night to watch the live special on climate change.

Synonyms

program
vsspecial
  • US
993 1.8

A show on radio or television for an audience

is aired outside the regular schedule and typically focuses on one subject or person
TV program
vsspecial
  • US
17 1.0

A show, series, or live event that people watch on television

is aired outside the regular schedule and often focuses on one subject or person

Antonyms

A plan for putting TV or radio shows into a schedule

Idioms

Ordinary and not very interesting

Compounds

186 3.5

A person allowed by law to do one specific task they are told to do

128 3.4

A very well trained military group that carries out secret or dangerous missions

A group or organization that tries to influence government decisions to help its own members

special effect
  • Specialized
74 3.7

An image or sound used in film to show something that cannot be done in real life

special education
  • Specialized
29 3.5

Teaching and support in school for students with physical, mental, or learning difficulties who need extra help

A service that delivers mail faster than usual for an extra fee

A meeting held in addition to regular meetings to deal with urgent or important matters

A group that tries to influence government decisions often by talking to politicians

An international sports event for people with intellectual or physical disabilities

special award
  • Formal
6 2.9

Official recognition given for important achievements or contributions

special relativity
  • Specialized
4 7.1

A theory that says physics works the same for all objects moving at constant speed and light speed is constant

A small extra detail that makes something feel nicer

4 6.6

A part of the police that deals with the country's safety and political crimes like terrorism or spying

An argument that ignores bad evidence to seem true

3 3.5

A small group inside an organization that works on a specific topic or project, not for politics

special jury
  • Archaic
2 7.7

A group of people chosen for their special knowledge to decide a legal case

A small, highly trained group of British soldiers who do secret, dangerous missions

A small, cheap gun often used in crimes

1 7.4

An extra tax on private property that pays for local public work like new sidewalks

1 6.1

A scientific idea that space and time change with speed and that light has the same speed for all observers

A group of people who try to influence government decisions about one issue

1 7.0

A part of the navy that carries out secret, dangerous missions at sea and on land

special act
  • Formal
1 8.3

A law made to help one person, group, or place instead of everyone

A 1905 Einstein theory saying time and space change because light's speed is always the same

1 9.0

Extra international money from the IMF to help countries build foreign currency reserves and keep their exchange rates stable

Special K
  • NSFW
1 9.9

A drug called ketamine used illegally to get high

A group in the United States Army trained to do secret and dangerous missions

1 7.7

A military court that tries soldiers for less serious crimes, usually with three officers

1 6.8

A formal agreement signed and sealed by the people involved, often with a wax seal

1 8.8

A jury statement about specific facts that the judge uses to decide the case

A house sold cheaply because it needs a lot of repair

1 9.8

Believing you are unique and should get extra attention from others

A police unit trained to handle violent situations like hostage crises and armed standoffs

1 7.3

A physics idea that light moves at the same speed and time and space change for moving people

A group of police officers with special training and weapons who handle very dangerous situations like armed suspects or hostages

A planned military action with clear goals that is often secret

Highly trained soldiers who do secret, dangerous missions for the United States Army

8.1

A cheaper apartment with few repairs or updates

An employer gives extra money to employees who have extra duties

9.1

A legal document that adds new facts to answer an accusation

A temporary team of experts from different parts of a company who solve an urgent problem quickly

How Scheduled

special
209 2.3
one-off
25 5.6

Surface Forms

special singular
specials plural

Etymology

Special comes from an old Latin word specialis, related to species, meaning 'kind' and 'set apart'. So a TV or radio 'special' is a program chosen to stand out from the regular schedule.