generalize

American  

[jen-er-uh-lahyz] / ˈdʒɛn ər əˌlaɪz /

especially British, generalise

verb (used with object)

generalized, generalizing

1. to infer (a general principle, trend, etc.) from particular facts, statistics, or the like.

2. to infer or form (a general principle, opinion, conclusion, etc.) from only a few facts, examples, or the like.

3. to give a general rather than a specific or special character or form to.

4. to make general; bring into general use or knowledge.

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verb (used without object)

generalized, generalizing

1. to form general principles, opinions, etc.

2. to deal, think, or speak in generalities.

3. to make general inferences.

generalize British  

/ ˈdʒɛnrəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to form (general principles or conclusions) from (detailed facts, experience, etc); infer

2. (intr) to think or speak in generalities, esp in a prejudiced way

3. (tr; usually passive) to cause to become widely used or known

4. (intr)

   1. to spread throughout the body

   2. to change from a localized infection or condition to a systemic one

      generalized infection

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Other Word Forms

• generalizable adjective
• generalizer noun
• nongeneralized adjective
• ungeneralized adjective
• ungeneralizing adjective

Etymology

Origin of generalize

First recorded in 1745–55; general + -ize

Example Sentences

It requires a model capable of generalizing or learning to reason, rather than pattern matching.

From The Wall Street Journal

"People miss information when they follow an algorithm, but they think what they do know generalizes to other features and other parts of the environment that they've never experienced," Turner said.

From Science Daily

This hybrid phase is called a generalized Wigner crystal, and the team's findings appear in npj Quantum Materials, a Nature publication.

From Science Daily

From a diagnostic standpoint, it overlaps with obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and trauma-related syndromes.

From The Wall Street Journal

"The same neural signature -- reward up, control down under rivalry -- likely generalizes beyond sport to political and sectarian conflicts."

From Science Daily