generalize
Americanverb (used with object)
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generalizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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generalized,
past participle, past
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generalizing
present participle
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to infer (a general principle, trend, etc.) from particular facts, statistics, or the like.
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to infer or form (a general principle, opinion, conclusion, etc.) from only a few facts, examples, or the like.
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to give a general rather than a specific or special character or form to.
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to make general; bring into general use or knowledge.
verb (used without object)
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generalizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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generalized,
past participle, past
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generalizing
present participle
-
to form general principles, opinions, etc.
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to deal, think, or speak in generalities.
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to make general inferences.
verb
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to form (general principles or conclusions) from (detailed facts, experience, etc); infer
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(intr) to think or speak in generalities, esp in a prejudiced way
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(tr; usually passive) to cause to become widely used or known
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(intr)
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to spread throughout the body
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to change from a localized infection or condition to a systemic one
generalized infection
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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generalizernoun
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generalizableadjective
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nongeneralizedadjective
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ungeneralizedadjective
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ungeneralizingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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generalizesimple
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generalizessimple
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have generalizedperfect
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has generalizedperfect
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am generalizingprogressive
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are generalizingprogressive
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is generalizingprogressive
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have been generalizingperfect progressive
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has been generalizingperfect progressive
Past
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generalizedsimple
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had generalizedperfect
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was generalizingprogressive
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were generalizingprogressive
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had been generalizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of generalize
Explanation
To generalize is to use specific examples to make broader points. Generalizing makes large points, though they aren't always necessarily true. When someone says "in general" they're talking about what things are like in the big picture or overall. Similarly, generalizing takes small examples and uses them to make bigger points. Saying that all teens are selfish because you know a few selfish teens is generalizing. Saying all adults are uptight is an example of generalizing. Unfortunately, generalizing can be dangerous. Stereotyping is a form of generalizing. Sometimes it’s better to stick to specific examples and to avoid generalizing.
Vocabulary lists containing generalize
ACT Vocabulary List
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We the People: Gen
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"Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began" by Art Spiegelman
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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.
See Examples For:
He recently asked a model to help generalize one of his arguments, only for the model to spot an error in that argument.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
It’s tempting to generalize from this study’s findings to conclude that any retirement investment that reduces financial anxiety and stress should have the same effect on longevity as a lifetime annuity.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
"We responded to a $600 million problem… The idea that we're redundant and expensive isn't a good way to generalize the value of this lab or the cost of this lab."
From Barron's ● May 19, 2026
It’s hard to generalize about the audience for a song this big.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2025
But my reactions were limited to the attitude of the people about me, and I did not speculate or generalize.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
"People miss information when they follow an algorithm, but they think what they do know generalizes to other features and other parts of the environment that they've never experienced," Turner said.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2025
And things become really exciting when one generalizes the concept of happy numbers.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 24, 2023
That's something we know that generalizes across all these different categories of secrets.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2022
I take issue with the framing of this article that generalizes crime by guards as the problem plaguing prisons.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 3, 2021
As a moral declaration the old truism seems perfectly true, and yet because it abstracts, because it generalizes, I can’t believe it with my stomach.
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
“They were insistent on doing a generalized experience,” said Borthwick, who is chief executive at Betaworks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Higher prices have a more generalized effect on economic growth, which can’t be attributed to specific products.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
"We can apply these generalized laws to better understand evaporating black holes in quantum theory and black hole mergers, like those detected by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration using gravitational waves."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
I didn’t have a deep desire for a child, just a generalized sense that I should consider it before it became impossible.
From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026
However, in contrast to state bureaucrats, chiefdom bureaucrats had generalized rather than specialized roles.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
It requires a model capable of generalizing or learning to reason, rather than pattern matching.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025
He found that Mirai did, outperforming traditional models while also generalizing better to minority patients.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 11, 2025
"Our robots were faster and more agile -- capable of effectively generalizing what they learned and applying it to new situations," Berrueta said.
From Science Daily ● May 2, 2024
It then falters by generalizing a history that, with some added details, could have better emphasized Lil Nas X’s current impact on culture.
From New York Times ● Jan. 25, 2024
Reasoning by induction—the process of generalizing from the available evidence—is the only real way of making progress in the world of things.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
