noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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rhymes with -eɪʃən
CMU ARPABET:JH EH2 N ER0 AH0 L IH0 Z EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:JH EH2 N R AH0 L IH0 Z EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
An act or instance of generalizing; concluding that something true of a subclass is true of the entire class.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The formulation of general concepts from specific instances by abstracting common properties.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Inductive reasoning from detailed facts to general principles.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
An oversimplified or exaggerated conception, opinion, or image of the members of a group.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
A proof, axiom, problem, or definition that includes another's cases, and also some additional cases; a conclusion reached by inferring from specific cases to more general cases or principles.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: mathematics, sciences
Examples
A hypersphere is a generalization of a sphere across more than three dimensions.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
(psychology) transfer of a response learned to one stimulus to a similar stimulus
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
the process of formulating general concepts by abstracting common properties of instances
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: abstraction, generalisation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: theorization, theorisation
9
noun
Meaning 9
an idea or conclusion having general application
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
he spoke in broad generalities
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: generalisation, generality
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: idea, thought
Narrower terms: principle, rule
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh1- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh1os Proto-Italic *genos Latin genus, generis Proto-Indo-European *h2el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin generālisbor. Anglo-Norman generalbor. Middle French generalbor. ▲ Latin generālisder. Middle English general English general Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation English -ization English generalization From general + -ization.
Across languages
Translations
68 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
تَعْمِيم
(taʕmīm)
— formulation of general concepts
Asturian:
xeneralización
— formulation of general concepts
Belarusian:
абагульненне
(abahulʹnjennje)
— formulation of general concepts
Catalan:
generalització
— formulation of general concepts
Danish:
generalisering
— formulation of general concepts
Dutch:
generalisatie
— formulation of general concepts
Finnish:
yleistäminen
— formulation of general concepts
French:
généralisation
— formulation of general concepts
Galician:
xeneralización
— formulation of general concepts
German:
Verallgemeinerung
— formulation of general concepts
German:
Generalisierung
— formulation of general concepts
Hungarian:
általánosítás
— formulation of general concepts
Indonesian:
perampatan
— formulation of general concepts
Indonesian:
penyamarataan
— formulation of general concepts
Indonesian:
generalisasi
— formulation of general concepts
Italian:
generalizzazione
— formulation of general concepts
Japanese:
汎化
(hanka)
— formulation of general concepts
Macedonian:
обопштување
(obopštuvanje)
— formulation of general concepts
Macedonian:
генерализација
(generalizacija)
— formulation of general concepts
Malay:
penyeluruhan
— formulation of general concepts
Malay:
generalisasi
— formulation of general concepts
Malay:
pengitlakan
— formulation of general concepts
Māori:
tukipūtanga
— formulation of general concepts
Norwegian Bokmål:
generalisering
— formulation of general concepts
Norwegian Nynorsk:
generalisering
— formulation of general concepts
Polish:
uogólnienie
— formulation of general concepts
Polish:
generalizacja
— formulation of general concepts
Portuguese:
generalização
— formulation of general concepts
Romanian:
generalizare
— formulation of general concepts
Russian:
обобще́ние
(obobščénije)
— formulation of general concepts
Russian:
генерализа́ция
(generalizácija)
— formulation of general concepts
Scottish Gaelic:
ginearalachadh
— formulation of general concepts
Slovene:
posplošitev
— formulation of general concepts
Spanish:
generalización
— formulation of general concepts
Swedish:
generalisering
— formulation of general concepts
Ukrainian:
узага́льнення
(uzahálʹnennja)
— formulation of general concepts
Vietnamese:
khái quát hoá
— formulation of general concepts
