What does specialise mean?
To specialise is to direct your study, work, or professional attention toward a particular subject, skill, or field. The word often implies both concentration and developing recognised expertise, as in a physician who specialises in cardiology or a writer who specialises in historical fiction. It can suggest deliberate narrowing of interests or activities rather than incidental experience: “The company specialises in renewable energy.” Specialise is especially natural in professional and academic contexts and carries a generally positive connotation of depth and mastery, although it can sometimes imply that a person or organisation deals with too narrow a range. In American English, the corresponding spelling is specialize. The related noun specialist denotes a person with specialised knowledge, while specialisation describes the field or activity in which someone concentrates. Together, these forms express the central idea of focusing expertise on a distinct branch of knowledge or practice.
verbTo concentrate one's study, work, or expertise on a particular subject or activity; to become a specialist in a particular field.
- To concentrate one's work, study, or expertise in a particular subject or activity.
- To become recognised as an expert or specialist in a particular field.
"After years in general publishing, she specialised in children's literature."
"The engineering firm specialises in low-carbon transport systems."
"He specialised in medieval history before turning to architectural conservation."
Specialise belongs to a broad family of words derived from species, the same Latin root that connects special, specimen, and specialty.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does specialise come from?
The verb was borrowed into English through French in the early 17th century and is based ultimately on Latin specialis, meaning “of a kind” or “particular.” That Latin root is associated with species, from which the modern family special, specialist, specialty, specialisation, and specimen developed. The modern meaning—focusing on a particular branch of knowledge or work—grew from the older sense of doing or treating something as special.
Related word forms
How specialise is actually used
In British English, specialise is the usual spelling, although specialise is also accepted in many other English varieties; specialize is the standard North American spelling. The phrase specialise in is especially common, though the verb may also be followed directly by a subject or activity.
Easily confused with specialise
The two forms have the same meaning; specialise is the standard British spelling, while specialize is standard in North American English.