general

Use the word "general" for things that aren’t specific or for situations when there aren’t many details. When something is general, the category, type, or idea is broad and wide.

• You get the general idea, don’t you?
• The students were given some general information about the topic but nothing in detail.
• The general impression of the event was that it was unorganized.
• In general, the design of the car is boring, so we have to change the design and make it more interesting.

The adverb form for this word is "generally."

• The person who owns this company is generally here two or three times a week. (The word "generally" is similar to "usually.")
• Generally speaking, the people who come to this website are interested in improving their English grammar skills. ("Generally speaking" is used when making a general statement about a situation.)
• She generally focuses her attention on her career to the exclusion of everything else.

The word "generalization" is a noun:

• The teacher made a generalization about the students. As a result, there were offended.
• If you want to communicate effectively, it’s important to focus on important details and avoid generalizations.
• That’s just a generalization. He doesn’t have specific knowledge about the issue.

Note: The word "general" is also used as a noun. It’s the highest rank a person can achieve in the U.S. military.

He’s a General in the Air Force.

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This page was first published on March 1, 2013. It was updated on February 8, 2017.