Difference between Circumstantial and Specific

What is the difference between Circumstantial and Specific?

Circumstantial as a noun is something incidental to the main subject, but of less importance; opposed to an essential; -- generally in the plural; as, the circumstantials of religion. while Specific as a noun is a distinguishing attribute or quality.

Circumstantial

Part of speech: noun

Definition: Something incidental to the main subject, but of less importance; opposed to an essential; -- generally in the plural; as, the circumstantials of religion.

Part of speech: adjective

Definition: Pertaining to or dependent on circumstances, especially as opposed to essentials; incidental, not essential. Abounding with circumstances; detailing or exhibiting all the circumstances; minute; particular. Full of circumstance or pomp; ceremonial.

Specific

Part of speech: noun

Definition: A distinguishing attribute or quality.Something particularly adapted for a particular use, as a remedy for a particular disorderSpecificationThe details; particulars.

Part of speech: adjective

Definition: explicit or definiteof, or relating to a speciespertaining to a taxon at the rank of speciesspecial, distinctive or uniqueintended for, or applying to a particular thingbeing a remedy for a particular diseaselimited to a particular antibody or antigena value divided by mass (e.g. specific orbital energy)similarly referring to a value divided by any measure which acts to standardize it (e.g. thrust specific fuel consumption, referring to fuel consumption divided by thrust)a measure compared with a standard reference value by division, to produce a ratio without unit or dimension (e.g. specific refractive index is a pure number, and is relative to that of air)

Example sentence: All my life, I always wanted to be somebody. Now I see that I should have been more specific.

We hope you now know whether to use Circumstantial or Specific in your sentence.

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