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general
[ jen-er-uhl ]
adjective
- of or relating to all persons or things belonging to a group or category:
a general meeting of the employees.
Synonyms: catholic, ordinary, regular, prevailing, customary
- of, relating to, or true of such persons or things in the main, with possible exceptions; common to most; prevalent; usual:
the general mood of the people.
Synonyms: catholic, ordinary, regular, prevailing, customary
- not limited to one class, field, product, service, etc.; miscellaneous:
the general public;
general science.
- considering or dealing with overall characteristics, universal aspects, or important elements, especially without considering all details or specific aspects:
general instructions; a general description;
a general resemblance one to another.
- not specific or definite:
I could give them only a general idea of what was going on.
Synonyms: approximate, imprecise, inexact, ill-defined
- (of anesthesia or an anesthetic) causing loss of consciousness and abolishing sensitivity to pain throughout the body.
- having extended command or superior or chief rank:
the secretary general of the United Nations;
the attorney general.
noun
- Military.
- U.S. Army and Air Force. an officer ranking above a lieutenant general and below a general of the army or general of the air force.
- U.S. Army. an officer of any of the five highest ranks: a brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general, general, or general of the army.
- U.S. Marine Corps. an officer holding the highest rank in the corps.
- (in numerous armies) an officer in the highest, second, or third highest rank, as one ranking immediately below a field marshal in the British army.
- Ecclesiastical. the chief official of a religious order.
- something that is general; generality.
- Archaic. general public ( def ).
general
/ ˈdʒɛnərəl; ˈdʒɛnrəl /
adjective
- common; widespread
a general feeling of horror at the crime
- of, including, applying to, or participated in by all or most of the members of a group, category, or community
- relating to various branches of an activity, profession, etc; not specialized
general office work
- including various or miscellaneous items
general knowledge
a general store
- not specific as to detail; overall
a general description of the merchandise
- not definite; vague
give me a general idea of when you will finish
- applicable or true in most cases; usual
- prenominal or immediately postpositive having superior or extended authority or rank
general manager
consul general
- See honoursAlsopass designating a degree awarded at some universities, studied at a lower academic standard than an honours degree See honours
- med relating to or involving the entire body or many of its parts; systemic
- logic (of a statement) not specifying an individual subject but quantifying over a domain
noun
- an officer of a rank senior to lieutenant general, esp one who commands a large military formation
- any person acting as a leader and applying strategy or tactics
- a general condition or principle: opposed to particular
- a title for the head of a religious order, congregation, etc
- med short for general anaesthetic
- archaic.the people; public
- in generalin general generally; mostly or usually
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Derived Forms
- ˈgeneralness, noun
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Other Words From
- gener·al·ness noun
- pseudo·gener·al adjective
- under·gener·al noun
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of general1
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Idioms and Phrases
- in general,
- with respect to the whole class referred to; as a whole:
He likes people in general.
- as a rule; usually:
In general, the bus is here by 9 a.m.
More idioms and phrases containing general
see in general ; on (general) principle .Discover More
Synonym Study
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Example Sentences
“They are hypocritical on this very issue,” Shearer said about Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder and other public officials.
It also contains some clunky passages of adultery, temptations of the flesh, and general sexual awkwardness.
Closed courthouses, rogue clerks, and misleading statements from the attorney general as Florida welcomes same-sex marriage.
“We would just as soon stay away from a group that will create controversy,” the Cubs general manager Sam Bernabe told the paper.
Your general reaction runs along the lines of: “When will these geezers give it up and go for a mall walk or something?”
A Yankee, whose face had been mauled in a pot-house brawl, assured General Jackson that he had received his scars in battle.
In the year of misery, of agony and suffering in general he had endured, he had settled upon one theory.
To others the fierce desire for social justice obliterates all fear of a general catastrophe.
Finally, let me ask the general reader to put aside all prejudice, and give both sides a fair hearing.
General Lachambre, as the hero of Cavite, followed to receive the applause which was everywhere showered upon him in Spain.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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