generalize

American  

[jen-er-uh-lahyz] / ˈdʒɛn ər əˌlaɪz /

especially British, generalise

verb (used with object)

generalizes, present (3rd person singular) generalized, past participle, past generalizing present participle

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

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

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

4. to make general; bring into general use or knowledge.

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verb (used without object)

generalizes, present (3rd person singular) generalized, past participle, past generalizing present participle

1. to form general principles, opinions, etc.

2. to deal, think, or speak in generalities.

3. to make general inferences.

generalize British  

/ ˈdʒɛnrəˌlaɪz /

verb

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

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

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

4. (intr)

   1. to spread throughout the body

   2. to change from a localized infection or condition to a systemic one

      generalized infection

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• generalizable
  adjective
• ungeneralized
  adjective
• nongeneralized
  adjective
• generalizer
  noun
• ungeneralizing
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have generalized
  perfect
• has generalized
  perfect 3rd person singular
• are generalizing
  progressive
• am generalizing
  progressive 1st person singular
• is generalizing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• has been generalizing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• generalizing
  participle
• generalizes
  singular 3rd person
• have been generalizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• had generalized
  perfect
• were generalizing
  progressive plural
• had been generalizing
  perfect progressive
• was generalizing
  progressive singular
• generalized
  simple
• generalized
  participle

Future

• will generalize
  simple
• will have generalized
  perfect
• will have been generalizing
  perfect progressive
• will be generalizing
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of generalize

First recorded in 1745–55; general + -ize

Explanation

To generalize is to use specific examples to make broader points. Generalizing makes large points, though they aren't always necessarily true. When someone says "in general" they're talking about what things are like in the big picture or overall. Similarly, generalizing takes small examples and uses them to make bigger points. Saying that all teens are selfish because you know a few selfish teens is generalizing. Saying all adults are uptight is an example of generalizing. Unfortunately, generalizing can be dangerous. Stereotyping is a form of generalizing. Sometimes it’s better to stick to specific examples and to avoid generalizing.

Example Sentences

"We responded to a $600 million problem… The idea that we're redundant and expensive isn't a good way to generalize the value of this lab or the cost of this lab."

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

Courts need not generalize from sports to other educational contexts.

From Slate • Jan. 14, 2026

AI models may perform well on the data they’re trained on, but “really the proof of the value of it is, does it generalize to an external population?” he noted.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 11, 2025

It is hazardous to generalize about public sentiment in Gaza.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 6, 2025

Now we can generalize the principle to sets of related concepts, that is, to themes.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker