generalize

UK/ˈd͡ʒɛn.(ə.)ɹə.laɪz/US/ˈd͡ʒɛn.(ə.)ɹə.laɪz/

verbB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,169 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: generalized, generalizes, generalizing

To generalize is to draw a broad conclusion from particular cases. Generalize from one example.

It is how all learning works and how most bad reasoning happens, depending on the sample. The British usually write generalise with an s, and both spellings are correct.

Definitions of generalize

1verbgeneralizeTo draw a broad conclusion from particular cases.B2+
“It is dangerous to generalize from a single year of figures.”

generalize is a reasoning.

Also accepted in games: generalise

Where it comes from

Proto-Indo-European
*ǵenh₁-
Middle English
general
English
general
English, today
generalize

Built from

genus · Latin — class, kind
-ālis · Latin — -al

From general + -ize. general comes from Middle English general. 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”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

generalize in the wild

States in functional analysis generalize the notion of density matrices in quantum mechanics, which represent quantum states, both mixed states and pure states.
State (functional analysis)
Density matrices in turn generalize state vectors, which only represent pure states.
State (functional analysis)
In other words, it is the extent to which the results of a study can generalize or transport to other situations, people, stimuli, and times.
External validity
As such, it is nearly impossible to generalize the duties of chem techs as their individual jobs vary greatly.
Chemical technologist
Convergence in measure is either of two distinct mathematical concepts both of which generalize the concept of convergence in probability.
Convergence in measure

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the genus family

general

generalize — used about once every 41,009 pages · #14,169 · point at the bar for the others

generally

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