generalize

English

Alternative forms

• generalise (non-Oxford British spelling)

Etymology

general +‎ -ize

Verb

generalize (third-person singular simple present generalizes, present participle generalizing, simple past and past participle generalized)

1. To speak in generalities, or in vague terms.
2. To infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles.
   • 1795, William Nicholson, A Dictionary of Chemistry

     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.

3. To spread throughout the body and become systemic.
4. To derive or deduce (a general concept or principle) from particular facts.
   • August 24, 1831, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Truth and Maxims

     A mere conclusion generalized from a great multitude of facts.

Synonyms

• (speak in generalities): See also Thesaurus:generalize

Antonyms

• (speak in generalities): See also Thesaurus:specify
• (infer from specific cases): specialize, instantiate

Derived terms

Derived terms

• generalist
• generalizability, generalisability
• generalizable, generalisable
• generalization, generalisation
• generalizer, generaliser

Related terms

• general

Translations

to speak in generalities, or in vague terms

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: говоря общо (govorja obšto)
• Catalan: generalitzar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: yleistää (fi)
• French: généraliser (fr), faire des amalgames
• Galician: xeneralizar (gl)
• Georgian: განზოგადება (ganzogadeba)
• German: generalisieren (de), pauschalisieren (de), verallgemeinern (de)
• Hungarian: általánosít (hu)
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Occitan: generalizar (oc)
• Polish: generalizować (pl) impf, uogólniać (pl) impf, uogólnić (pl) pf
• Portuguese: generalizar (pt)
• Romanian: generaliza (ro)
• Scottish Gaelic: ginearalaich
• Spanish: generalizar (es)
• Swedish: generalisera (sv)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

to infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles

• Bulgarian: обобщавам (bg) (obobštavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 普遍化 (zh) (pǔbiànhuà)

• Czech: zobecnit
• Danish: generalisere
• Esperanto: ĝeneraligi
• Finnish: yleistää (fi)
• French: généraliser (fr)
• Galician: xeneralizar (gl)
• Georgian: განზოგადება (ganzogadeba)
• German: generalisieren (de), verallgemeinern (de)
• Hindi: व्यापक करना (vyāpak karnā)
• Italian: generalizzare (it)
• Polish: uogólniać (pl) impf, uogólnić (pl) pf
• Portuguese: generalizar (pt)
• Romanian: generaliza (ro)
• Russian: обобща́ть (ru) impf (obobščátʹ), обобщи́ть (ru) pf (obobščítʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: ginearalaich
• Slovene: posplošiti
• Swedish: generalisera (sv)

to spread throughout the body and become systemic

• Bulgarian: разпространявам (bg) (razprostranjavam)
• Esperanto: vastiĝi, ĝeneraliĝi
• Finnish: levitä (fi)
• French: généraliser (fr)
• German: sich ausbreiten
• Portuguese: generalizar-se
• Romanian: generaliza (ro)

to derive or deduce from particular facts

Portuguese

Verb

generalize

1. inflection of generalizar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative