generally

American  

[jen-er-uh-lee] / ˈdʒɛn ər ə li /

adverb

1. usually; commonly; ordinarily.

   He generally comes home at noon.

   Antonyms:

   seldom

2. with respect to the larger part; for the most part.

   a generally accurate interpretation of the facts.

3. without reference to or disregarding particular persons, things, situations, etc., that may be an exception.

   generally speaking.

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generally British  

/ ˈdʒɛnrəlɪ /

adverb

1. usually; as a rule

2. commonly or widely

3. without reference to specific details or facts; broadly

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Synonym Usage

See often.

Etymology

Origin of generally

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; general + -ly

Explanation

Generally means "usually" or "broadly." If something is generally true, it is usually true. If you generally dislike birthday celebrations, don’t be mad when no one throws you a party. If something is right generally, then it's right most of the time, though perhaps not in every case. Generally, dogs are more playful than cats. Generally, young people are healthier than old people. Generally, people like music. This word is handy when you need to say something that is true for most, but not all, people or things. This word helps you to generalize.

Example Sentences

Generally, scads of slack signal weakness and tend to place a lid on companies’ ability to raise prices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

"Generally, the industry accepts that once the first layer of circuits is complete, the thermal budget limit for any additional layers is 400 degrees Celsius," Cao said.

From Science Daily • May 30, 2026

Generally, it takes a couple of weeks to get full protection from a vaccine and some require booster doses.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

Generally, when I meet eldest siblings, there’s a kind of interesting energy of someone who both needs to be in charge and needs a lot of permission.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026

Generally, academic labs sound much fancier than they are; often they are windowless rooms, cubbyholes, and former closets dug out and jerry-rigged by cash-strapped researchers, but this one is different.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• broadly
• commonly
• customarily
• largely
• mostly
• normally
• ordinarily
• publicly
• roughly
• typically
• universally
• usually
• widely