Generalize Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms generalize American [jen-er-uh-lahyz] / ˈdʒɛn ər əˌlaɪz / especially British, generalise

verb (used with object)

generalized, generalizing

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.

verb (used without object)

generalized, generalizing

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

"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

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

Etymology

Origin of generalize

First recorded in 1745–55; general + -ize

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.

“These specialized architectures can be excellent in narrow slices of inference, but they don’t generalize well to the kind of workloads the frontier is converging on.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The results, it says, “cannot be generalized to the overall enrollment population.”

From Los Angeles Times

It’s a generalized disdain for almost anything generated by “artificial intelligence,” as though the involvement of AI at all renders the product suspect, even dangerous.

From Los Angeles Times

In generalized anxiety disorder, for instance, people may experience persistent worry about routine events and struggle to control their concerns.

From Science Daily

It requires a model capable of generalizing or learning to reason, rather than pattern matching.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.