general
OTHER WORDS FOR general
Idioms about 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.
Origin of general
synonym study for general
historical usage of general
The military sense of general (noun) dates from the mid-16th century; general officer and general of the army date from the mid-17th century. The heads of some Roman Catholic religious orders are called generals, a usage that began in the 16th century and applied originally to the Jesuits but now applies to the Franciscans and Dominicans as well; the usage was extended in the 19th century to the head of the Salvation Army.
The phrase in general originally meant “in a body, collectively” (a sense that is now obsolete), with a clear relation to the sense of the adjective general “with respect to a whole class, group, or category.” It later developed further to mean “usually,” which can be interpreted as meaning “as a general rule (rather than a specific instance).”
OTHER WORDS FROM general
gen·er·al·ness, nounpseu·do·gen·er·al, adjectiveun·der·gen·er·al, nounWords nearby general
MORE ABOUT GENERAL
What does general mean?
General describes all people or things belonging to a group. A general election, for example, is an election that is held on a regular schedule.
General can also describe all people or things with possible exceptions. When we describe a word as being used in general, we mean that it’s mostly used that way but there might be a few exceptions to it.
General also describes something that is not specific or definite, as in While Nat doesn’t have all the details about the party yet, they have a general idea what it’s going to be like.
In the military a general is a high-ranking officer, although each branch of the military ranks officers a little differently. In the U.S. Army, a general is an officer of the five highest ranks—brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general, general, or general of the army, all of which have their own authorities and responsibilities. In the U.S. Marine Corps, a general is the highest-ranking officer in the entire corps.
Example: The general consensus is that the movie was pretty terrible.
Where does general come from?
The first records of the term general come from the late 1200s. It comes from the Latin generālis, meaning “of a particular kind.” Something that is general is supposed to relate to all people or things of a certain kind.
Perhaps the largest group general is applied to is the general public, a term that describes all people in a society. When someone wants to appeal to the general public, they want to create a message that will be acceptable and favorable to the largest number of people possible.
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What are some other forms related to general?
- generally (adverb)
- generalness (noun)
- generalize (verb)
- undergeneral (noun)
What are some synonyms for general?
What are some words that share a root or word element with general?
What are some words that often get used in discussing general?
How is general used in real life?
General is most often used to describe something broad or not specific.
Kanye’s Twitter feed and the general response to it is proof that there remain many issues on how we talk about or engage people with mental illness.
— Alexander Quon (@AlexanderQuon) July 21, 2020
I like the general idea of being on the beach much more than actually being on the beach
— FK. (@fkabudu) December 13, 2020
BREAKING: Federal judge says U.S. attorney general cannot withhold grant money from cities over so-called sanctuary cities status.
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 15, 2017
Try using general!
Is general used correctly in the following sentence?
When Tomica cooks, she follows general principles rather than specific instructions.
How to use general in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for general
Derived forms of general
generalness, nounWord Origin for general
Other Idioms and Phrases with general
see in general; on (general) principle.