generalization

American  

[jen-er-uh-luh-zey-shuhn] / ˌdʒɛn ər ə ləˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

generalizations plural

1. the act or process of generalizing.

2. a result of this process; a general statement, idea, or principle.

3. Logic.

   1. a proposition asserting something to be true either of all members of a certain class or of an indefinite part of that class.

   2. the process of obtaining such propositions.

4. Psychology.

   1. Also called stimulus generalization.  the act or process of responding to a stimulus similar to but distinct from the conditioned stimulus.

   2. Also called response generalization.  the act or process of making a different but similar response to the same stimulus.

   3. Also called mediated generalization.  the act or process of responding to a stimulus not physically similar to the conditioned stimulus and not previously encountered in conditioning.

   4. the act or process of perceiving similarity or relation between different stimuli, as between words, colors, sounds, lights, concepts or feelings; the formation of a general notion.

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generalization British  

/ ˌdʒɛnrəlaɪˈzeɪʃən /

noun

1. a principle, theory, etc, with general application

2. the act or an instance of generalizing

3. psychol the evoking of a response learned to one stimulus by a different but similar stimulus See also conditioning

4. logic the derivation of a general statement from a particular one, formally by prefixing a quantifier and replacing a subject term by a bound variable. If the quantifier is universal ( universal generalization ) the argument is not in general valid; if it is existential ( existential generalization ) it is valid

5. logic any statement ascribing a property to every member of a class ( universal generalization ) or to one or more members ( existential generalization )

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• generalizations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of generalization

First recorded in 1755–65; generalize + -ation

Explanation

Taking something specific and applying it more broadly is making a generalization. It's a generalization to say all dogs chase squirrels. A generalization is taking one or a few facts and making a broader, more universal statement. If all the girls you know play with dolls, you might make the generalization that all girls play with dolls. Scientists try to make generalizations based on research — the more data they have, the more accurate the generalization. Generalizations can be similar to stereotypes in that they are sometimes wrong and harmful. Usually, it's best to stick with specifics and avoid generalizations.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

generalization generalizations

This is a generalization not based on facts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026

They learn mappings from inputs to outputs, sometimes with impressive generalization, but the computation is still a digital procedure running on hardware built for a very different style of computing.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 24, 2025

There are tens of thousands of undocumented university students in higher education throughout the country, so you can’t make this kind of generalization as a justification for engaging in arrest.

From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2025

If Levick shies away from generalization, he too is a composer not easily pinned down.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2025

And if there is a reasonable chance that readers will misinterpret a statistical tendency as an absolute law, a responsible writer will anticipate the oversight and qualify the generalization accordingly.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

To illuminate his dark subject matter, Fiedler adopts a punchy, aggressive prose replete with antitheses, exclamation marks, capitalized terminology and bold generalizations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Evocative anecdotes and sharp observations work better than vague praise or sweeping generalizations.

From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026

Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.

From Salon ● Jan. 26, 2026

Compared to the 11th Circuit’s decision, other courts’ opinions on this subject are half-baked and muddled, reliant upon dubious generalizations that gloss over key historical materials.

From Slate ● Mar. 17, 2025

So various were the peoples of the Americas that continent-wide generalizations are risky to the point of folly.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• acumen
• analysis
• argument
• hypothesis
• inference
• interpretation
• premise
• proposition
• rationale
• thinking