general
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: enpr: jĕnʹ(ə)rəl
ipa: /ˈd͡ʒɛn.(ə.)ɹəl/
ipa: /ˈd͡ʒen.(ə.)ɹəl/
rhymes: (US) -ɛnəɹəl
Forms: form: more general
form: most general
form: General
form: gen.
form: gen
form: Gen.
form: Gen
form: genl
form: gen'l
form: Genl
form: Gen'l
form: generall
Etymology: From Middle English general, in turn from Anglo-Norman general, generall, Middle French general, and their source, Latin generālis, from genus (“class, kind”) + -ālis (“-al”); thus morphologically parallel with, and a doublet of, generic.
Senses: examples: text: It is generall / To be mortall: / I haue well espyde / No man may hym hyde / From Deth holow eyed […].
ref: c. 1495, John Skelton, "Vppon a deedman's hed":
text: "Among us!" was the general shout, and Peppersorn sat frozen to his chair.
ref: 1842, Douglas Jerrold, “Mr Peppersorn ‘At Home’”, in Cakes and Ale:
text: That each, who seems a separate whole,
Should move his rounds, and fusing all
The skirts of self again, should fall
Remerging in the general Soul,
Is faith as vague as all unsweet: […]
ref: 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XLVI”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 69:
text: Undoubtedly the age of the Antonines was much better than any later age until the Renaissance, from the point of view of the general happiness.
ref: 1946, Bertrand Russell, “Stoicism”, in History of Western Philosophy, book 1, part 3:
text: One advantage of having profitable companies in Britain is that they pay large sums in corporate tax into the Exchequer, which in theory at least is used for the general good.
ref: 2006 October 15, Ruth Sutherland, “Invite public to the private equity party”, in The Observer:
synonyms: word: common
word: universal
word: catholic
word: ecumenical
word: general
word: generic
word: nonsingular
word: nonspecific
word: universal
word: unparticular
word: unsingular
word: unspecific
antonyms: word: specific
word: special
word: particular
word: generic
glosses: Including or involving every part or member of a given or implied entity, whole, etc.; common to all, universal.
examples: text: For these successes he obtained the rank of Field-Marshal General.
ref: 1865, Edward Cust, Lives of the Warriors of the Thirty Years War, page 527:
text: He becomes the chief chartered libertine, the whoremaster-general flourishing his "standard" over a female army […].
ref: 2002, James Turner, Libertines and Radicals in Early Modern London, page 122:
glosses: Applied to a person (as a postmodifier or a normal preceding adjective) to indicate supreme rank, in civil or military titles, and later in other terms; pre-eminent.
examples: text: ‘I can't quite afford you the sympathy you expect upon this score,’ I replied; ‘the misfortune is so general, that it belongs to one half of the species […].’
ref: 1817, Sir Walter Scott, chapter IX, in Rob Roy:
text: The general opinion on Baz Luhrmann's overstuffed epic Australia seems to be that it throws in everything but the kitchen sink, and then tosses that in too, just to be sure.
ref: 2008 December 20, John Patterson, “Home movies”, in The Guardian:
synonyms: word: typical
word: usual
word: common
word: average
word: banal
word: basic
word: bog standard
word: common
word: common as bums
word: common as muck
word: commonplace
word: common-or-garden
word: common or garden variety
word: conventional
word: dime a dozen
word: everyday
word: familiar
word: garden variety
word: general
word: nonrare
word: normal
word: par for the course
word: pedestrian
word: plain
word: plain Jane
word: plain vanilla
word: quotidian
word: regular
word: routinary
word: routine
word: standard
word: standard issue
word: ten a penny
word: two a penny
word: typical
word: usual
word: run-of-the-mill
word: workaday
antonyms: abnormal
uncommon
glosses: Prevalent or widespread among a given class or area; common, usual.
examples: text: M. Venizelos went to Athens from Paris early last January in response to a general invitation from the Greek populace.
ref: 1924 March 17, Time:
text: Already in the primary school work is conducted for the purpose of equipping the pupils with those elements of general knowledge which are closely related to the military preparation of future warriors.
ref: 1947 October 20, “Russian Catechism”, in Time:
text: Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a general term indicating a rapid heartbeat (tachycardia) coming from the top chambers of the heart - in essence, above (supra) the lower chamber (ventricular).
ref: 2009, Douglas P. Zipes, Saturday Evening Post, volume 281, number 1, page 20:
synonyms: word: broad
word: generic
word: catholic
word: ecumenical
word: general
word: generic
word: nonsingular
word: nonspecific
word: universal
word: unparticular
word: unsingular
word: unspecific
glosses: Not limited in use or application; applicable across a broad range.
examples: text: As she thus spoke, the entrance of the servants with dinner cut off all conversation but that of a general nature.
ref: 1817, Sir Walter Scott, chapter X, in Rob Roy:
text: There was a moment's pause. The Princess broke in with some casual remark and once more the conversation became general.
ref: 1941, W Somerset Maugham, Up at the Villa, Vintage, published 2004, page 24:
text: The quick answer is that the 1893 Exposition was simply so important — "the greatest event in the history of the country since the Civil War," as Harper's put it that October — but that feels too general.
ref: 2006 July 16, Kevin Nance, “Ghosts of the White City”, in Chicago Sun-Times:
text: Given the scarcity of relevant historical detail in the New Testament, we are left with only a general outline about Joseph.
ref: 2008, Robert P. Maloney, “The Quiet Carpenter”, in America, volume 199, number 19, page 18:
glosses: Giving or consisting of only the most important aspects of something, ignoring minor details; indefinite.
examples: text: general goods
text: His measured, springless walk was the walk of the skilled countryman as distinct from the desultory shamble of the general labourer […].
ref: 2007, Alan Cheuse, “A Little Death”, in Southern Review, volume 43, number 3, page 692:
glosses: Not of a specific class; miscellaneous.