generalize

American  

[jen-er-uh-lahyz] / ˈdʒɛn ər əˌlaɪz /

especially British, generalise

verb (used with object)

• generalizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• generalized,
  past participle,  past
• generalizing
  present participle

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)

• generalizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• generalized,
  past participle,  past
• generalizing
  present participle

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

• generalizing
  present
• generalized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• generalize
  simple
• generalizes
  simple
• have generalized
  perfect
• has generalized
  perfect
• am generalizing
  progressive
• are generalizing
  progressive
• is generalizing
  progressive
• have been generalizing
  perfect progressive
• has been generalizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• generalized
  simple
• had generalized
  perfect
• was generalizing
  progressive
• were generalizing
  progressive
• had been generalizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will generalize
  simple
• will have generalized
  perfect
• will be generalizing
  progressive
• will have been generalizing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of generalize

First recorded in 1745–55; general + -ize

Explanation

To generalize is to use specific examples to make broader points. Generalizing makes large points, though they aren't always necessarily true. When someone says "in general" they're talking about what things are like in the big picture or overall. Similarly, generalizing takes small examples and uses them to make bigger points. Saying that all teens are selfish because you know a few selfish teens is generalizing. Saying all adults are uptight is an example of generalizing. Unfortunately, generalizing can be dangerous. Stereotyping is a form of generalizing. Sometimes it’s better to stick to specific examples and to avoid generalizing.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

generalize generalizes generalized generalizing

It’s tempting to generalize from this study’s findings to conclude that any retirement investment that reduces financial anxiety and stress should have the same effect on longevity as a lifetime annuity.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

"We responded to a $600 million problem… The idea that we're redundant and expensive isn't a good way to generalize the value of this lab or the cost of this lab."

From Barron's ● May 19, 2026

Mormann adds: "The ability of these neuronal groups to link spontaneously allows us to generalize information while preserving the specific details of individual events."

From Science Daily ● Mar. 24, 2026

It is hazardous to generalize about public sentiment in Gaza.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2025

Not to generalize, but being OCD about manners isn't exactly considered a quintessential American trait.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

"We're working hard to increase representation, so we can be even more confident in how this generalizes to the population at large, especially communities typically underrepresented in research."

From Science Daily ● Jun. 13, 2026

If Hu and his colleagues can show this behavior generalizes to other materials, he says, physicists may have to revise established models for environments such as outer space or planetary interiors, including Earth's.

From Scientific American ● Apr. 28, 2023

Another clear pitfall of the Pace approach is that it generalizes calories burnt.

From Salon ● Nov. 14, 2022

“Outlier II” involves an A.I.-generated melody that generalizes over time, gradually losing nuance before being disrupted by a series of chance-based improvisations.

From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2022

As a moral declaration the old truism seems perfectly true, and yet because it abstracts, because it generalizes, I can’t believe it with my stomach.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

Higher prices have a more generalized effect on economic growth, which can’t be attributed to specific products.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Any sign that war related inflation was causing generalized price hikes would be "a warning sign," that might require interest rate hikes, Macklem added.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

"We can apply these generalized laws to better understand evaporating black holes in quantum theory and black hole mergers, like those detected by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration using gravitational waves."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026

“AI will achieve Stockfish-level coding and generalized computer use,” Musk said in a statement on social media, possibly referring to the free, open-source chess engine.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

In 1605 this new idea of discovery was generalized by Francis Bacon in Of the Proficiency and Advancement of Learning.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025

He found that Mirai did, outperforming traditional models while also generalizing better to minority patients.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 11, 2025

Any small deviation reduced the efficiency of the method so, provided that each material has their own band-gaps, generalizing the proposed mechanism seemed something out of reach.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2024

I might be generalizing and telling the story a little simply right now, but that's why there's so much cheese.

From Salon ● Mar. 20, 2024

It was engineers such as de Caus who, by generalizing the concept of a moving mechanism, made the clockwork universe and the mechanical man possible.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton