Other forms: generalisations
A generalisation is a statement made to cover many cases at once — students are lazy, British food is bland, cats do not like water. It is how thinking works and it is also how thinking goes wrong.
In logic the word is neutral: generalising from particular cases to a general rule is inductive reasoning, and it is the basis of every science. In ordinary speech it is nearly always a criticism — that is a sweeping generalisation — meaning the claim covers too much on too little evidence. The two uses sit close and the tone tells them apart. Note the spelling: generalisation in British English, generalization in American, and the verb is generalise, which takes about.
1noungeneralisationA statement made to cover many cases at once.
“It is a generalisation, and like most generalisations it is half true.”
synonyms: sweeping statement
2nounlogicA conclusion drawn about a whole group from a few examples.
“The study warns against generalisation from such a small sample.”
Also accepted in games: generalization
Practised in Big Ideas