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

The general sale takes place on Sunday, 17 September, from 9am GMT.

From BBC

Relations soured further when Trump ordered the assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.

From Salon

The $3.6bn worth of assets recovered in the case was the biggest financial seizure in the DOJ's history, deputy attorney General Lisa Monaco said at the time.

From BBC

Outside of Lara Trump, other frontrunners for the opening include Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and DeSantis himself.

From Salon

But it would be years until the general public learned of this deep-sea discovery.

From Los Angeles Times