generalization
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a general statement that you make about a group of people or things based on only a few examples.
a broad statement or principle derived from specific cases, often used to describe a general trend or rule.
Simple“It is a broad generalization to say that all teenagers love social media.”
In context“The author avoids making a sweeping generalization about the working class, instead focusing on the diverse experiences of specific families.”
Synonymsbroad statementabstractionAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a statement that is too simple and does not consider all the facts, often making it unfair or incorrect.
an oversimplified or exaggerated conception or opinion regarding the members of a group.
Simple“Saying that 'men are better at math' is a harmful generalization.”
In context“The report was criticized for relying on hasty generalizations that failed to account for significant regional variations in the data.”
Synonymsstereotypeoversimplification - 03 C1 Advanced
the process of using specific facts to create a general rule or principle.
the process of inductive reasoning whereby general principles are formulated from the abstraction of common properties in specific instances.
Simple“In science, generalization helps us turn observations into laws of nature.”
In context“The researcher sought a mathematical generalization that would encompass all previously observed edge cases within a single unified theorem.”
From general + -ization.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.