generalization

B2 Topic:Communication

Also spelled generalisation

US /ˌdʒɛnɝəlɪˈzeɪʃən/ See IPA manual

Freq #60802

Meanings

1

noun
A broad statement that is supposed to be true in most cases, based on only some examples.

Saying that all teenagers are lazy is an unfair generalization.
2

noun
The act of forming a general idea from particular examples.

Good scientists avoid hasty generalization from a single experiment.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a broad statement that is... generality

2 noun · the act of forming a... generalisationabstraction

More despecificationgenericizationuniversalization

Opposites

specialization

Word family

Forms generalizations

Derived forms genrelizationmisgeneralizationovergeneralizationundergeneralization

Related forms stereotype

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

stimulus generalization
responding to a new stimulus because it resembles one previously associated with that response

Noun + noun

Etymology

From general + -ization.

Topics

Communication

External links

# generalization

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌdʒɛnɝəlɪˈzeɪʃən/
**Frequency rank:** 60802

## Meanings
1. A broad statement that is supposed to be true in most cases, based on only some examples.
2. The act of forming a general idea from particular examples.

## Examples
- Saying that all teenagers are lazy is an unfair generalization.
- Good scientists avoid hasty generalization from a single experiment.

## Synonyms
- abstraction
- despecification
- genericization
- universalization

## Antonyms
- specialization

## Derived Forms
- genrelization
- misgeneralization
- overgeneralization
- undergeneralization

## Related Forms
- stereotype

## Etymology
From general + -ization.

## AI Etymology
Generalization comes from general + -ization. In current use, the main senses are “A broad statement that is supposed to be true in most cases, based on only some examples” and “The act of forming a general idea from particular examples”.

## Topics
- Communication

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