GENERALIZE


Meaning of GENERALIZE in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ dʒenrəlaɪz ]

( generalizes, generalizing, generalized)

Note: in BRIT, also use 'generalise'

1.

If you generalize , you say something that seems to be true in most situations or for most people, but that may not be completely true in all cases.

‘In my day, children were a lot better behaved’.—‘It’s not true, you’re generalizing’...

It’s hard to generalize about Cole Porter because he wrote so many great songs that were so varied.

VERB : V , V prep

2.

If you generalize something such as an idea, you apply it more widely than its original context, as if it was true in many other situations.

A child first labels the household pet cat as a ‘cat’ and then generalises this label to other animals that look like it.

VERB : V n across/to n

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Английский словарь Коллинз COBUILD для изучающих язык на продвинутом уровне.