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

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Etymology

Origin of generalize

First recorded in 1745–55; general + -ize

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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

I don’t mean to generalize, but as people age, it’s not unusual for them to undergo behavioral changes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

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

Supporters of AI systems tout their greater capacity to generalize from one driving situation to another, as human drivers can, making them easier to roll out at scale than hybrid systems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Courts need not generalize from sports to other educational contexts.

From Slate ● Jan. 14, 2026

Third, experimentation involves both a study of the external world and a capacity to generalize.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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

From Science Daily ● Nov. 11, 2025

And things become really exciting when one generalizes the concept of happy numbers.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 24, 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

Consequently, much of the analysis used generalized maps of brain connectivity rather than maps created specifically for each patient.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

“I think people could use help that is generalized, that sort of goes outside something that’s so specific and prescriptive.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

The good news is, per Gifford, that there are less generalized models out there that are tailored to much more exacting needs.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

He said the oil price shock from the war with Iran has not broadened out to cause more generalized inflation.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

A little overwhelmed, I began the generalized evasions which that question deserves.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The two agencies routinely assert that they explain the methods used, but their generalizing descriptions—some of the language of which they’ve repeated for over a decade—don’t come close to routine standards for economic scholarship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025

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

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 11, 2025

"Our robots were faster and more agile -- capable of effectively generalizing what they learned and applying it to new situations," Berrueta said.

From Science Daily ● May 2, 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

Dobzhansky could now restate the essential truth of Mendel’s discovery—a gene determines a physical feature—by generalizing that idea across multiple genes and multiple features: a genotype determines a phenotype.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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