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Showing results for universality.
Synonyms

universality

American  
[yoo-nuh-ver-sal-i-tee] / ˌyu nə vərˈsæl ɪ ti /

noun

plural

universalities

  1. the character or state of being universal; existence or prevalence everywhere.

  2. relation, extension, or applicability to all.

  3. universal character or range of knowledge, interests, etc.

universality British  
/ ˌjuːnɪvɜːˈsælɪtɪ /

noun

  1. the state or quality of being universal

"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

Other Word Forms

  • nonuniversality noun

Etymology

Origin of universality

1325–75; Middle English universalite < Late Latin ūniversālitās. See universal, -ity

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Readers are as varied as individuals, but there’s a universality of emotion.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

He liked the fresh, colorful and sensual image that a mango instilled, and the universality of a word recognizable in many languages without translation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

They are often taught to Psych 101 students as both a fascinating discovery about visual processing and a cautionary tale about unwarranted assumptions of universality.

From Slate • Aug. 24, 2025

Tony Shalhoub: Breaking Bread” will premiere this fall on CNN, centered around travel, hospitality and the comforting universality of — you guessed it — bread.

From Salon • May 23, 2025

All of these parallels between Mesoamerican and ancient western Eurasian writing testify to the underlying universality of human creativity.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.