general

American  

[jen-er-uhl] / ˈdʒɛn ər əl /

adjective

1. 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

   Antonyms:

   limited, special

2. 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

3. not limited to one class, field, product, service, etc.; miscellaneous.

   the general public;

   general science.

4. 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.

5. not specific or definite.

   I could give them only a general idea of what was going on.

   Synonyms:

   approximate, imprecise, inexact, ill-defined

   Antonyms:

   precise, exact, definite

6. (of anesthesia or an anesthetic) causing loss of consciousness and abolishing sensitivity to pain throughout the body.

7. having extended command or superior or chief rank.

   the secretary general of the United Nations;

   the attorney general.

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noun

• generals
  plural

1. Military.

   1. 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.

   2. 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.

   3. U.S. Marine Corps. an officer holding the highest rank in the corps.

   4. (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.

2. Ecclesiastical. the chief official of a religious order.

3. something that is general; generality.

4. Archaic. general public.

idioms

1. in general,

   1. with respect to the whole class referred to; as a whole.

      He likes people in general.

   2. as a rule; usually.

      In general, the bus is here by 9 a.m.

general British  

/ ˈdʒɛnrəl, ˈdʒɛnərəl /

adjective

1. common; widespread

   a general feeling of horror at the crime

2. of, including, applying to, or participated in by all or most of the members of a group, category, or community

3. relating to various branches of an activity, profession, etc; not specialized

   general office work

4. including various or miscellaneous items

   general knowledge

   a general store

5. not specific as to detail; overall

   a general description of the merchandise

6. not definite; vague

   give me a general idea of when you will finish

7. applicable or true in most cases; usual

8. (prenominal or immediately postpositive) having superior or extended authority or rank

   general manager

   consul general

9. Also: pass.  designating a degree awarded at some universities, studied at a lower academic standard than an honours degree See honours

10. med relating to or involving the entire body or many of its parts; systemic

11. logic (of a statement) not specifying an individual subject but quantifying over a domain

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noun

1. an officer of a rank senior to lieutenant general, esp one who commands a large military formation

2. any person acting as a leader and applying strategy or tactics

3. a general condition or principle: opposed to particular

4. a title for the head of a religious order, congregation, etc

5. med short for general anaesthetic

6. archaic the people; public

7. generally; mostly or usually

general More Idioms  

1. see in general; on (general) principle.

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Usage

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.

Synonym Usage

General, common, popular, universal agree in the idea of being nonexclusive and widespread. General means belonging to, or prevailing throughout, a whole class or body collectively, irrespective of individuals: a general belief. Common means shared by all, and belonging to one as much as another: a common interest; common fund; but use of this sense is frequently avoided because of ambiguity of sense. Popular means belonging to, adapted for, or favored by the people or the public generally, rather than by a particular (especially a superior) class: the popular conception; a popular candidate. Universal means found everywhere, and with no exceptions: a universal longing.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• generalness
  noun
• undergeneral
  noun
• pseudogeneral
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• generals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of general

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin generālis, equivalent to gener- (stem of genus “race, kind”) + -ālis adjective suffix; see origin at genus, -al ¹

Explanation

If I ask you to give me a general sense of how a car works, I'm looking for you to describe the two or three main principals in a few minutes, not to open the hood, take apart your engine, and tell me everything you know. General comes from the French word générale, which means "common to all people," but we use it for more than just people. You might inquire about the general habits of schoolchildren, or the general temperature at night in the desert. And when someone's a general in the army or another organization, like the Surgeon General of the United States, for example, that means they oversee everything. So "general" is a high ranking, because generals are in charge of so many.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

general generals

The inspector general found that explanation wasn’t always clear and that the person approving travel often operated under the assumption that an executive had requested it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

“It moves everything faster, just the general questions that you may have,” says Suzana DelliSanti, Salesforce’s executive vice president of global talent acquisition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

The authority spent more than $2 million in travel costs for four consulting firms from June 2024 to April 2026, according to the report released this week by the agency’s inspector general.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

OpenAI, the operator of ChatGPT, usually only offers its branded fashion to employees, but occasionally it goes on general sale for a few days via its website.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

This was obviously pre–Civil War, and I stank at pre–Civil War simulations as a general rule.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

There was also a series of angry messages about other generals who had danced without his permission.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Attorney generals in only four states — California, Texas, Florida and Illinois — even acknowledged receipt of Mexico’s demands, Velasco said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Former four-star generals, Pentagon officials and congressional staffers alike find a welcome reception in the industry they once oversaw.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

At the height of World War II, students in Miss Lillian Craig’s fifth-grade class in Roanoke, Va., wrote to America’s top soldier, Gen. George C. Marshall: How did he select the nation’s senior generals?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

The two generals were then able to draw up a treaty.

From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby