general

[ jen-er-uhl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to all persons or things belonging to a group or category:

   a general meeting of the employees.

   Synonyms: catholic, ordinary, regular, prevailing, customary

   Antonyms: limited, special

2. of, relating to, or true of such persons or things in the main, with possible exceptions; common to most; prevalent; usual:

   the general mood of the people.

   Synonyms: catholic, ordinary, regular, prevailing, customary

3. not limited to one class, field, product, service, etc.; miscellaneous:

   the general public;

   general science.

4. considering or dealing with overall characteristics, universal aspects, or important elements, especially without considering all details or specific aspects:

   general instructions; a general description;

   a general resemblance one to another.

5. not specific or definite:

   I could give them only a general idea of what was going on.

   Synonyms: approximate, imprecise, inexact, ill-defined

   Antonyms: precise, exact, definite

6. (of anesthesia or an anesthetic) causing loss of consciousness and abolishing sensitivity to pain throughout the body.
7. having extended command or superior or chief rank:

   the secretary general of the United Nations;

   the attorney general.

noun

1. Military.
   1. U.S. Army and Air Force. an officer ranking above a lieutenant general and below a general of the army or general of the air force.
   2. U.S. Army. an officer of any of the five highest ranks: a brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general, general, or general of the army.
   3. U.S. Marine Corps. an officer holding the highest rank in the corps.
   4. (in numerous armies) an officer in the highest, second, or third highest rank, as one ranking immediately below a field marshal in the British army.
2. Ecclesiastical. the chief official of a religious order.
3. something that is general; generality.
4. Archaic. general public ( def ).

general

/ ˈdʒɛnrəl; ˈdʒɛnərəl /

adjective

1. common; widespread

   a general feeling of horror at the crime

2. of, including, applying to, or participated in by all or most of the members of a group, category, or community
3. relating to various branches of an activity, profession, etc; not specialized

   general office work

4. including various or miscellaneous items

   a general store

   general knowledge

5. not specific as to detail; overall

   a general description of the merchandise

6. not definite; vague

   give me a general idea of when you will finish

7. applicable or true in most cases; usual
8. prenominal or immediately postpositive having superior or extended authority or rank

   consul general

   general manager

9. Alsopass designating a degree awarded at some universities, studied at a lower academic standard than an honours degree See honours
10. med relating to or involving the entire body or many of its parts; systemic
11. logic (of a statement) not specifying an individual subject but quantifying over a domain

noun

1. an officer of a rank senior to lieutenant general, esp one who commands a large military formation
2. any person acting as a leader and applying strategy or tactics
3. a general condition or principle: opposed to particular
4. a title for the head of a religious order, congregation, etc
5. med short for general anaesthetic
6. archaic.
   the people; public
7. in general
   generally; mostly or usually

Derived Forms

• ˈgeneralness, noun

Other Words From

• gener·al·ness noun
• pseudo·gener·al adjective
• under·gener·al noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of general¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin generālis, equivalent to gener- (stem of genus “race, kind”) + -ālis adjective suffix; genus, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of general¹

C13: from Latin generālis of a particular kind, from genus kind

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in general,
   1. with respect to the whole class referred to; as a whole:

      He likes people in general.

   2. as a rule; usually:

      In general, the bus is here by 9 a.m.

More idioms and phrases containing general

see in general ; on (general) principle .

Synonym Study

General, common, popular, universal agree in the idea of being nonexclusive and widespread. General means belonging to, or prevailing throughout, a whole class or body collectively, irrespective of individuals: a general belief. Common means shared by all, and belonging to one as much as another: a common interest; common fund; but use of this sense is frequently avoided because of ambiguity of sense. Popular means belonging to, adapted for, or favored by the people or the public generally, rather than by a particular (especially a superior) class: the popular conception; a popular candidate. Universal means found everywhere, and with no exceptions: a universal longing.

Example Sentences

Carr previously served as the FCC’s general counsel and has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times.

From Los Angeles Times

“The court found that ‘the public’s interest in ridding law enforcement of gangs is ‘substantial’ and that an inspector general’s decision to investigate is nonnegotiable,” he told The Times late Wednesday.

From Los Angeles Times

There is no additional information regarding the discovery, but Belda added there is no threat to the general public.

From Los Angeles Times

Paul Fleming, general secretary of arts union Equity, agreed that new opera productions and engagement programmes in Manchester were welcome, but said "it falls short of a season at the scale audiences deserve".

From BBC

Prescott himself said, if he was remembered for just one thing, it would be for his punch during the 2001 general election campaign.

From BBC

More About General

What does general mean?

General describes all people or things belonging to a group. A general election, for example, is an election that is held on a regular schedule.

General can also describe all people or things with possible exceptions. When we describe a word as being used in general, we mean that it’s mostly used that way but there might be a few exceptions to it.

General also describes something that is not specific or definite, as in While Nat doesn’t have all the details about the party yet, they have a general idea what it’s going to be like.

In the military a general is a high-ranking officer, although each branch of the military ranks officers a little differently. In the U.S. Army, a general is an officer of the five highest ranks—brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general, general, or general of the army, all of which have their own authorities and responsibilities. In the U.S. Marine Corps, a general is the highest-ranking officer in the entire corps. 

Example: The general consensus is that the movie was pretty terrible.

Where does general come from?

The first records of the term general come from the late 1200s. It comes from the Latin generālis, meaning “of a particular kind.” Something that is general is supposed to relate to all people or things of a certain kind.

Perhaps the largest group general is applied to is the general public, a term that describes all people in a society. When someone wants to appeal to the general public, they want to create a message that will be acceptable and favorable to the largest number of people possible.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to general?

 

• generally (adverb)
• generalness (noun)
• generalize (verb)
• undergeneral (noun)

 

What are some synonyms for general?

 

• accustomed
• commonplace
• inexact
• approximate
• generic
• universal

 

What are some words that share a root or word element with general? 

 

• genus
• general admission
• generalize

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing general?

 

• attorney
• election
• statement

How is general used in real life?

General is most often used to describe something broad or not specific.

Kanye’s Twitter feed and the general response to it is proof that there remain many issues on how we talk about or engage people with mental illness.

— Alexander Quon (@AlexanderQuon) July 21, 2020

I like the general idea of being on the beach much more than actually being on the beach

— FK. (@fkabudu) December 13, 2020

BREAKING: Federal judge says U.S. attorney general cannot withhold grant money from cities over so-called sanctuary cities status.

— The Associated Press (@AP) September 15, 2017

 

 

Try using general!

Is general used correctly in the following sentence?

When Tomica cooks, she follows general principles rather than specific instructions.