Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) -
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Share This gen·er·al·ize Audio Help / ˈdʒɛn / Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation [ jen -er-uh -lahyz] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation verb, -ized, -iz·ing. –verb (used with object) 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) 5. to form general principles, opinions, etc.
6. to deal, think, or speak in generalities.
7. to make general inferences.
Also, especially British , gen·er·al·ise.
—Related forms gen·er·al·iz·a·ble, adjective
gen·er·al·iz·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
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American Heritage Dictionary -
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Audio Help (jěn'ər-ə-līz') Pronunciation Key
gen·er·al·ized , gen·er·al·iz·ing , gen·er·al·iz·es
tr.
To reduce to a general form, class, or law.
To render indefinite or unspecific.
To infer from many particulars.
To draw inferences or a general conclusion from.
To make generally or universally applicable.
To popularize.
To infer from many particulars.
To draw inferences or a general conclusion from.
To make generally or universally applicable.
To popularize.
To make generally or universally applicable.
To popularize.
intr.
To form a concept inductively.
To form general notions or conclusions.
To deal in generalities; speak or write vaguely.
Medicine To spread through the body. Used of a usually localized disease.gen'er·al·iz'a·ble adj. , gen'er·al·iz'er n.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
WordNet -
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Share This generalize verb 1. draw from specific cases for more general cases 2. speak or write in generalities [ant: particularise ] 3. cater to popular taste to make popular and present to the general public; bring into general or common use; "They popularized coffee in Washington State"; "Relativity Theory was vulgarized by these authors" [syn: popularize ] 4. become systemic and spread throughout the body; "this kind of infection generalizes throughout the immune system"
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary -
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Share This ˈgeneralize, *ˈgeneralise 1 verb
to make a general rule etc that can be applied to many cases, based on a number of cases
Example:
He's trying to generalize from only two examples.
Arabic: يُعَمِّم، يَجْعَلُه عامّا Chinese (Simplified): 引出普遍性结论 Chinese (Traditional): 歸納﹐概括 Czech: zevšeobecnit Danish: generalisere Dutch: veralgemenen Estonian: üldistust tegema Finnish: yleistää French: généraliser German: verallgemeinern Greek: γενικεύω Hungarian: általánosít Icelandic: alhæfa Indonesian: menyamaratakan Italian: generalizzare
Japanese: 一般化する Korean: 일반화하다 Latvian: vispārināt Lithuanian: apibendrinti Norwegian: generalisere Polish: uogólniać Portuguese (Brazil): generalizar Portuguese (Portugal): generalizar Romanian: a generaliza Russian: обобщать Slovak: zovšeobecniť Slovenian: posplošiti Spanish: generalizar Swedish: dra allmänna slutsatser av Turkish: genelleştirmek
ˈgeneralize, *ˈgeneralise 2 verb
to talk (about something) in general terms
Example:
We should stop generalizing and discuss each problem separately.
Arabic: يُعَمِّم بالكلام Chinese (Simplified): 笼统地讲 Chinese (Traditional): 籠統地講 Czech: vyvozovat obecné závěry Danish: generalisere Dutch: generaliseren Estonian: üldsõnaliselt rääkima Finnish: yleistää French: dire des généralités German: verallgemeinern Greek: μιλώ γενικά, μη συγκεκριμένα Hungarian: általánosít Icelandic: alhæfa Indonesian: bicara secara umum Italian: generalizzare, parlare in generale*
Japanese: 一般的に言う Korean: 개괄적으로 말하다 Latvian: runāt vispārīgi Lithuanian: kalbėti apskritai, neapibrėžtai Norwegian: komme med alminneligheter Polish: mówić ogólnikami Portuguese (Brazil): generalizar Portuguese (Portugal): generalizar Romanian: a spune generalităţi Russian: говорить в общих выражениях Slovak: hovoriť všeobecne Slovenian: govoriti na splošno Spanish: generalizar Swedish: generalisera Turkish: genelleme yapmak
See also: as a general rule ,
generally ,
general ,
general election ,
general store ,
in general ,
the general public
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary -
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Gen"er*al*ize\, v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Generalized ; p. pr. & vb. n.
Generalizing .] [Cf. F. g['e]n['e]raliser.]
1. To bring under a genus or under genera; to view in relation to a genus or to genera.
Copernicus generalized the celestial motions by merely referring them to the moon's motion. Newton generalized them still more by referring this last to the motion of a stone through the air. --W. Nicholson.
2. To apply to other genera or classes; to use with a more extensive application; to extend so as to include all special cases; to make universal in application, as a formula or rule.
When a fact is generalized, our discontent is quited, and we consider the generality itself as tantamount to an explanation. --Sir W. Hamilton.
3. To derive or deduce (a general conception, or a general principle) from particulars.
A mere conclusion generalized from a great multitude of facts. --Coleridge.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary -
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Gen"er*al*ize\, v. i. To form into a genus; to view objects in their relations to a genus or class; to take general or comprehensive views.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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