Meanings
verbgeneralize (third-person singular simple present generalizes, present participle generalizing, simple past and past participle generalized)
present singular third person generalizes · participle present generalizing · participle past generalized · past generalized · alternative generalise
- To speak in generalities, or in vague terms.
- To infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles.
Copernicus generalized the celestial motions by merely referring them to the moon's motion. Newton generalized them still more by referring this last to the motion of a stone through the air.
1795, William Nicholson, A Dictionary of Chemistry - To spread throughout the body and become systemic.
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
antonym(s) of “infer from specific cases”
Opposite
Opposite
Narrower
verbdraw from specific cases for more general cases
Similar
Broader
verbcater to popular taste to make popular and present to the general public; bring into general or common use
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*ǵenh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*ǵénh₁os
- Proto-Italic*genos
- Latingenus, generis
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
- Latingenerāli
- Anglo-Normangenera
- Middle Frenchgenera
- Latingenerālis
- Middle Englishgeneral
- Englishgeneral
- Englishgeneralize
Translations
Arabic عَمَّمَ
- عَمَّمَ (ʕammama)to infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
Bulgarian говоря общо, обобщавам
- говоря общо (govorja obšto)to speak in generalities, or in vague terms
- обобщавам (obobštavam)to infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
- разпространявам (razprostranjavam)to spread throughout the body and become systemic
Catalan generalitzar
- generalitzarto speak in generalities, or in vague terms
Chinese Mandarin 籠統而談 /笼统而谈, 普遍化
- 籠統而談 /笼统而谈 (lǒngtǒng ér tán)to speak in generalities, or in vague terms
- 普遍化 (pǔbiànhuà)to infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
- 歸納 /归纳 (guīnà)to infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
- 全身擴散 /全身扩散 (quánshēn kuòsàn)to spread throughout the body and become systemic
Czech zobecnit
- zobecnitto infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
Danish generalisere
- generalisereto infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
Esperanto ĝeneraligi, vastiĝi
- ĝeneraligito infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
- vastiĝito spread throughout the body and become systemic
- ĝeneraliĝito spread throughout the body and become systemic
Finnish yleistää, yleistää
- yleistääto speak in generalities, or in vague terms
- yleistääto infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
- levitäto spread throughout the body and become systemic
French généraliser, faire des amalgames
- généraliserto speak in generalities, or in vague terms
- faire des amalgamesto speak in generalities, or in vague terms
- généraliserto infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
- généraliserto spread throughout the body and become systemic
German generalisieren, pauschalisieren
- generalisierento speak in generalities, or in vague terms
- pauschalisierento speak in generalities, or in vague terms
- verallgemeinernto speak in generalities, or in vague terms
- generalisierento infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
- verallgemeinernto infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
- sich ausbreitento spread throughout the body and become systemic
Greek γενικεύω
- γενικεύω (genikévo)to infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
Hindi व्यापक करना
- व्यापक करना (vyāpak karnā)to infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
Hungarian általánosít
- általánosítto speak in generalities, or in vague terms
Italian generalizzare
- generalizzareto infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
Polish generalizować, uogólniać
- generalizowaćto speak in generalities, or in vague terms
- uogólniaćto speak in generalities, or in vague terms
- uogólnićto speak in generalities, or in vague terms
- uogólniaćto infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
- uogólnićto infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
Portuguese generalizar, generalizar
- generalizarto speak in generalities, or in vague terms
- generalizarto infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
- generalizar-seto spread throughout the body and become systemic
Romanian generaliza, generaliza
- generalizato speak in generalities, or in vague terms
- generalizato infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
- generalizato spread throughout the body and become systemic
Russian обобща́ть, обобщи́ть
- обобща́ть (obobščátʹ)to infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
- обобщи́ть (obobščítʹ)to infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
Scottish Gaelic ginearalaich, ginearalaich
- ginearalaichto speak in generalities, or in vague terms
- ginearalaichto infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
Spanish generalizar
- generalizarto speak in generalities, or in vague terms
Swedish generalisera, generalisera
- generaliserato speak in generalities, or in vague terms
- generaliserato infer or induce from specific cases to more general cases or principles
Vietnamese nói chung chung
- nói chung chungto speak in generalities, or in vague terms
Cite this entry
APA
generalize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/generalize
MLA
“generalize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/generalize. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “generalize,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/generalize.
Source: generalize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.