Proper and Specific

Proper

Proper adjective - Serving to identify as belonging to an individual or group.
Usage example: malaria and other diseases that are proper to the tropics

Specific is a synonym for proper in characteristic topic. In some cases you can use "Specific" instead the word "Proper" as an adjective or a noun, when it comes to topics like individual, particular.

Nearby Words: property, properly

Specific

Specific adjective - (sometimes followed by `to') applying to or characterized by or distinguishing something particular or special or unique.
Usage example: a specific and detailed account of the accident

Proper is a synonym for specific in characteristic topic. Sometimes you can use "Proper" instead the word "Specific" as an adjective or a noun, if it concerns topics such as particular.

Both words in one sentence

  • Action Commands The player assigns specific attacks to individual buttons, and then uses those attacks by pushing the associated buttons at the proper time, according to the type of weapon used.
  • Paper Talisman The Fatal Frame series uses these to keep certain doors sealed until you find and photograph a specific item or ghost to remove the ofuda (in the third game, they're shaped like people), effectively similar to finally finding the proper "key" to "unlock" its door in order to make progress.
  • Much like the Dragonlord example, games that come West get a graphics/sprite overhaul that is usually ported back to Japanese rereleases, with a very specific case of this being Dragon Quest III giving Ortega a proper sprite and a proper opening sequence.
Cite this Source
Specific and Proper. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/proper/specific
Proper & Specific. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/proper/specific>.
Specific or Proper. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/proper/specific.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "proper" and "specific" have occurred on timeline