general

[ jen-er-uhl ]
See synonyms for general on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of or relating to all persons or things belonging to a group or category: a general meeting of the employees.

  2. of, relating to, or true of such persons or things in the main, with possible exceptions; common to most; prevalent; usual: the general mood of the people.

  1. not limited to one class, field, product, service, etc.; miscellaneous: the general public;general science.

  2. considering or dealing with overall characteristics, universal aspects, or important elements, especially without considering all details or specific aspects: general instructions; a general description;a general resemblance one to another.

  3. not specific or definite: I could give them only a general idea of what was going on.

  4. (of anesthesia or an anesthetic) causing loss of consciousness and abolishing sensitivity to pain throughout the body.

  5. having extended command or superior or chief rank: the secretary general of the United Nations;the attorney general.

noun
  1. Military.

  2. Ecclesiastical. the chief official of a religious order.

  1. something that is general; generality.

  2. Archaic. general public.

Idioms about general

  1. in general,

    • with respect to the whole class referred to; as a whole: He likes people in general.

    • as a rule; usually: In general, the bus is here by 9 a.m.

Origin of general

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin generālis, equivalent to gener- (stem of genus “race, kind”) + -ālis adjective suffix; see origin at genus, -al1

synonym study For general

1, 2. General, common, popular, universal agree in the idea of being nonexclusive and widespread. General means belonging to, or prevailing throughout, a whole class or body collectively, irrespective of individuals: a general belief. Common means shared by all, and belonging to one as much as another: a common interest; common fund; but use of this sense is frequently avoided because of ambiguity of sense. Popular means belonging to, adapted for, or favored by the people or the public generally, rather than by a particular (especially a superior) class: the popular conception; a popular candidate. Universal means found everywhere, and with no exceptions: a universal longing.

word story For general

English general (adjective and noun) comes via Old French from the Latin adjective generālis “common, belonging to all, belonging to a race or genus” (as opposed to speciālis “particular, belong to a species”).
The military sense of general (noun) dates from the mid-16th century; general officer and general of the army date from the mid-17th century. The heads of some Roman Catholic religious orders are called generals, a usage that began in the 16th century and applied originally to the Jesuits but now applies to the Franciscans and Dominicans as well; the usage was extended in the 19th century to the head of the Salvation Army.
The phrase in general originally meant “in a body, collectively” (a sense that is now obsolete), with a clear relation to the sense of the adjective general “with respect to a whole class, group, or category.” It later developed further to mean “usually,” which can be interpreted as meaning “as a general rule (rather than a specific instance).”

Other words for general

Opposites for general

Other words from general

  • gen·er·al·ness, noun
  • pseu·do·gen·er·al, adjective
  • un·der·gen·er·al, noun

Words Nearby general

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use general in a sentence

  • A Yankee, whose face had been mauled in a pot-house brawl, assured general Jackson that he had received his scars in battle.

  • In the year of misery, of agony and suffering in general he had endured, he had settled upon one theory.

    The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux
  • To others the fierce desire for social justice obliterates all fear of a general catastrophe.

  • Finally, let me ask the general reader to put aside all prejudice, and give both sides a fair hearing.

    God and my Neighbour | Robert Blatchford
  • general Lachambre, as the hero of Cavite, followed to receive the applause which was everywhere showered upon him in Spain.

    The Philippine Islands | John Foreman

British Dictionary definitions for general

general

/ (ˈdʒɛnərəl, ˈdʒɛnrəl) /


adjective
  1. common; widespread: a general feeling of horror at the crime

  2. of, including, applying to, or participated in by all or most of the members of a group, category, or community

  1. relating to various branches of an activity, profession, etc; not specialized: general office work

  2. including various or miscellaneous items: general knowledge; a general store

  3. not specific as to detail; overall: a general description of the merchandise

  4. not definite; vague: give me a general idea of when you will finish

  5. applicable or true in most cases; usual

  6. (prenominal or immediately postpositive) having superior or extended authority or rank: general manager; consul general

  7. Also: pass designating a degree awarded at some universities, studied at a lower academic standard than an honours degree: See honours (def. 2)

  8. med relating to or involving the entire body or many of its parts; systemic

  9. logic (of a statement) not specifying an individual subject but quantifying over a domain

noun
  1. an officer of a rank senior to lieutenant general, esp one who commands a large military formation

  2. any person acting as a leader and applying strategy or tactics

  1. a general condition or principle: opposed to particular

  2. a title for the head of a religious order, congregation, etc

  3. med short for general anaesthetic

  4. archaic the people; public

  5. in general generally; mostly or usually

Origin of general

1
C13: from Latin generālis of a particular kind, from genus kind

Derived forms of general

  • generalness, noun

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 Idioms and Phrases with general

general

see in general; on (general) principle.

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