generalization

[ jen-er-uh-luh-zey-shuhn ]

/ ˌdʒɛn ər ə ləˈzeɪ ʃən /

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noun

the act or process of generalizing.

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

Logic.

a proposition asserting something to be true either of all members of a certain class or of an indefinite part of that class.
the process of obtaining such propositions.

Psychology.

Also called stimulus generalization. the act or process of responding to a stimulus similar to but distinct from the conditioned stimulus.
Also called response generalization. the act or process of making a different but similar response to the same stimulus.
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.
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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Origin of generalization

First recorded in 1755–65; generalize + -ation

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH generalization

deduction, extrapolation, induction, generalization , hypothesis

Words nearby generalization

general headquarters, general hospital, generalissimo, generalist, generality, generalization, generalize, generalized coordinate, generalized other, general linguistics, generally

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

How to use generalization in a sentence

That’s a risky generalization, but Steele and his colleagues point to some other hints in the literature to suggest that this may be a common occurrence.
The Data Behind a Once-a-Week Strength Routine|Alex Hutchinson|February 2, 2021|Outside Online
That assumption was based on several generalizations about the inner solar system’s evolution.
Rumbles on Mars Raise Hopes of Underground Magma Flows|Robin George Andrews|February 1, 2021|Quanta Magazine
While it’s human nature and good data science to find and define patterns in a heap of customer data, too much categorization results in broad generalizations that may overlook important behaviors and perspectives.
Take your campaigns to deeper levels by disrupting the peace|Max Braun|December 24, 2020|Search Engine Watch
There are likely many more impressive examples of generalization and creativity within the rest of the animal kingdom—of which we are of course a part.
Person, Woman, Man, Camera, TV - Issue 93: Forerunners|Adithya Rajagopalan|December 2, 2020|Nautilus

He calls his scheme the “double simplex” representation, because the left-handed and right-handed particles of nature each form a simplex — a generalization of a triangle.
A New Map of All the Particles and Forces|Natalie Wolchover, Samuel Velasco and Lucy Reading-Ikkanda|October 22, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Glassdoor is comfortable making generalization about firms based on a sample size of 20 reviews.
If Cosi Wants to Make a Profit, It Needs to Increase Wages|Daniel Gross|August 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This is not just a psychological generalization, but a kind of existential point.
Why Favoritism Is Virtuous: The Case Against Fairness|Stephen T. Asma|December 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I had some people come up to me after and talk to me—‘Oh, I disagreed with that,’ ‘I thought that was a generalization.’
‘Two and a Half Men’ Co-Creator Lee Aronsohn’s Female-Comedy Rant|Tricia Romano|April 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Quite frankly, your generalization (one of many) that no 15-year-old is capable of writing as I did is false.
Michael Wolff Is the Child|Daniel Judt|June 22, 2010|DAILY BEAST
“It makes me so sad when people say print is dead because it's such an unfair generalization of where things are,” he said.
MTV's Mr. Nice Guy|Enid Portuguez|April 26, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The number of cases in E. Mitior is too limited to warrant further generalization.
A Statistical Inquiry Into the Nature and Treatment of Epilepsy|Alexander Hughes Bennett
It will not do to lay great emphasis on minute details, and neglect the art of generalization.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I|John Lord
But this very paradox leads to the real principle of generalization concerning the properties of numbers.
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive|John Stuart Mill
The former would be ranked, in our distribution, among fallacies of generalization, the latter among those of ratiocination.
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive|John Stuart Mill
The empirical laws which are most readily obtained by generalization from history do not amount to this.
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive|John Stuart Mill

British Dictionary definitions for generalization

generalization

generalisation

/ (ˌdʒɛnrəlaɪˈzeɪʃən) /

noun

a principle, theory, etc, with general application

the act or an instance of generalizing

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

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

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

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

generalization

Origin of generalization

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH generalization

Words nearby generalization

Words related to generalization

How to use generalization in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for generalization

generalisation