umbrella term

[uhm-brel-uh turm]

noun

1. a word or phrase used as a unifying term under which a group of specific and related things, words, phrases, subjects, or functions belongs.

   To be clear, “encephalopathy” is an umbrella term for any brain disease, and we’re testing to find out exactly what condition you may have.

   The umbrella term “trans” includes both binary and nonbinary transgender people, as well as those who are genderqueer in other ways.

Word History and Origins

Origin of umbrella term¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Like the climate crisis or the crisis of democratic legitimacy, the affordability crisis has become an umbrella term for countless loosely connected phenomena.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Likes, comments and shares — which come under the “engagement” umbrella term — numbered in the thousands for the first six videos.

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It is estimated that one in seven children are neurodivergent, which is an umbrella term for conditions like autism, ADHD, and dyslexia.

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More than 6 million people in the U.S. currently live with dementia, an umbrella term for conditions affecting memory, language and other cognitive functions.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

There are no cures yet for dementia, an umbrella term for cognitive disorders, of which Alzheimer’s is the most common.

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