generalize

[ jen-er-uh-lahyz ]

/ ˈdʒɛn ər əˌlaɪz /

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See synonyms for: generalize / generalized / generalizing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), gen·er·al·ized, gen·er·al·iz·ing.

to infer (a general principle, trend, etc.) from particular facts, statistics, or the like.

to infer or form (a general principle, opinion, conclusion, etc.) from only a few facts, examples, or the like.

to give a general rather than a specific or special character or form to.

to make general; bring into general use or knowledge.

verb (used without object), gen·er·al·ized, gen·er·al·iz·ing.

to form general principles, opinions, etc.

to deal, think, or speak in generalities.

to make general inferences.

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Also especially British, gen·er·al·ise .

Origin of generalize

First recorded in 1745–55; general + -ize

OTHER WORDS FROM generalize

gen·er·al·iz·a·ble, adjectivegen·er·al·iz·er, nounnon·gen·er·al·ized, adjectiveun·gen·er·al·ized, adjective

un·gen·er·al·iz·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use generalize in a sentence

Through engaging with the fictional world, people can practice emotional and behavioral strategies that might generalize to other kinds of stressful or fearful situations.
Why Horror Films Are More Popular Than Ever - Issue 95: Escape|Coltan Scrivner|January 14, 2021|Nautilus
Our hope is to generalize this approach to a wide range of pathfinding problems.
How Explainable Artificial Intelligence Can Help Humans Innovate|Forest Agostinelli|January 13, 2021|Singularity Hub
Again, we certainly don’t want our limited tests to be generalized to a broader conclusion that their words don’t matter — quite the opposite.
Are we entering a new era of political violence?|Sean Illing|January 7, 2021|Vox
The oversight board’s specific case decisions will remain, but that doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily be generalized out to the social network at large.
Facebook’s controversial Oversight Board starts reviewing content moderation cases|Taylor Hatmaker|October 22, 2020|TechCrunch

Google is one of just three generalized search companies in the US that use web crawlers—software that constantly looks for and indexes publicly available web pages.
The DOJ says Google monopolizes search. Here’s how.|Eileen Guo|October 20, 2020|MIT Technology Review

British Dictionary definitions for generalize

generalize

generalise

/ (ˈdʒɛnrəˌlaɪz) /

verb

to form (general principles or conclusions) from (detailed facts, experience, etc); infer

(intr) to think or speak in generalities, esp in a prejudiced way

(tr; usually passive) to cause to become widely used or known

(intr) (of a disease)

to spread throughout the body
to change from a localized infection or condition to a systemic onegeneralized infection

Derived forms of generalize

generalizer or generaliser, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

generalize

Origin of generalize

OTHER WORDS FROM generalize

Words related to generalize

How to use generalize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for generalize

generalise

Derived forms of generalize