Standard Lemma guide

generally

adv · 8 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ɹə.li/
  • UK: /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ə.ɹə.li/
  • US: /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ɚ.li/
  • US: /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ɚ.ə.li/
  • US: /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ɹə.li/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ˈd͡ʒen.ɹə.li/
  • CMU ARPABET: JH EH1 N ER0 AH0 L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: JH EH1 N R AH0 L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

Popularly or widely.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, comparative

Examples

  • It is generally known that the Earth is round.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

As a rule; usually; typically; in most cases.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, comparative

Examples

  • I generally have a walk in the afternoon.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adv

Meaning 3

Without reference to specific details.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, comparative

Examples

  • Generally speaking ...

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adv

Meaning 4

In the general case, without exception; in all cases.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, comparative

Examples

  • It is generally true that the angles of a triangle sum to 180 degrees.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adv

Meaning 5

Collectively; as a whole; without omissions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, comparative, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adverb

Meaning 6

without distinction of one from others

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he is interested in snakes in general

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: in general, in the main

Antonyms: specifically

7

adverb

Meaning 7

usually; as a rule

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • by and large it doesn't rain much here

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: by and large, more often than not, mostly

Antonyms: none provided

8

adverb

Meaning 8

without regard to specific details or exceptions

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he interprets the law broadly

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: broadly, loosely, broadly speaking

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English generally, generalliche, equivalent to general + -ly.

Across languages

Translations

151 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: عُمُومًا (ʕumūman) — popularly or widely
  • Armenian: ընդհանրապես (əndhanrapes) — popularly or widely
  • Azerbaijani: ümumilikdə — popularly or widely
  • Azerbaijani: ümumiyyətlə — popularly or widely
  • Azerbaijani: ümumiyyətcə — popularly or widely
  • Azerbaijani: ümumiliklə — popularly or widely
  • Bashkir: ғөмүмән (ğömümən) — popularly or widely
  • Bulgarian: всеобщо (vseobšto) — popularly or widely
  • Catalan: generalment — popularly or widely
  • Finnish: yleensä — popularly or widely
  • Finnish: tavallisesti — popularly or widely
  • French: généralement — popularly or widely
  • French: en général — popularly or widely
  • Galician: xeralmente — popularly or widely
  • Georgian: ფართოდ (partod) — popularly or widely
  • Georgian: ზოგადად (zogadad) — popularly or widely
  • German: allgemein — popularly or widely
  • German: gewöhnlich — popularly or widely
  • German: im Allgemeinen — popularly or widely
  • Hindi: सामान्यतः (sāmānyataḥ) — popularly or widely
  • Indonesian: secara umum — popularly or widely
  • Italian: in genere — popularly or widely
  • Italian: generalmente — popularly or widely
  • Japanese: 広く (hiroku) — popularly or widely
  • Japanese: 汎く (amaneku) — popularly or widely
  • Japanese: 通常 (tsūjō) — popularly or widely
  • Japanese: 一般に (ippan ni) — popularly or widely
  • Latin: plērumque — popularly or widely
  • Maltese: ġeneralment — popularly or widely
  • Middle English: generally — popularly or widely
  • Middle English: comunly — popularly or widely
  • Norwegian Bokmål: generelt — popularly or widely
  • Norwegian Bokmål: allment — popularly or widely
  • Occitan: generalament — popularly or widely
  • Old English: ġewunelīċe — popularly or widely
  • Polish: powszechnie — popularly or widely
  • Portuguese: geralmente — popularly or widely
  • Portuguese: em geral — popularly or widely
  • Punjabi: عموماً (ʻmoman) — popularly or widely
  • Punjabi: ਅਮੂਮਨ (amūman) — popularly or widely
  • Russian: вообще́ (voobščé) — popularly or widely
  • Russian: широко́ (širokó) — popularly or widely
  • Scottish Gaelic: san fharsaingeachd — popularly or widely
  • Serbo-Croatian: opće — popularly or widely
  • Spanish: generalmente — popularly or widely
  • Spanish: por lo general — popularly or widely
  • Turkish: genellikle — popularly or widely
  • Uzbek: umuman — popularly or widely
  • Yiddish: בכלל (bikhlal) — popularly or widely
  • Afrikaans: oor die algemeen — as a rule; usually
  • Armenian: սովորաբար (sovorabar) — as a rule; usually
  • Armenian: ընդհանրապես (əndhanrapes) — as a rule; usually
  • Azerbaijani: ümumilikdə — as a rule; usually
  • Azerbaijani: ümumiyyətlə — as a rule; usually
  • Azerbaijani: ümumiyyətcə — as a rule; usually
  • Azerbaijani: ümumiliklə — as a rule; usually
  • Azerbaijani: bir qayda olaraq — as a rule; usually
  • Azerbaijani: ümumən — as a rule; usually
  • Bashkir: ғәҙәттә (ğəźəttə) — as a rule; usually
  • Breton: peurvuiañ — as a rule; usually
  • Breton: peurliesañ — as a rule; usually
  • Bulgarian: обикновено (obiknoveno) — as a rule; usually
  • Catalan: generalment — as a rule; usually
  • Chinese Mandarin: 通常 (tōngcháng) — as a rule; usually
  • Chinese Mandarin: 一般 (yībān) — as a rule; usually
  • Dutch: in het algemeen — as a rule; usually
  • Esperanto: ĝenerale — as a rule; usually
  • Finnish: yleensä — as a rule; usually
  • Finnish: tavallisesti — as a rule; usually
  • French: généralement — as a rule; usually
  • Galician: xeralmente — as a rule; usually
  • Georgian: როგორც წესი (rogorc c̣esi) — as a rule; usually
  • Georgian: საერთოდ (saertod) — as a rule; usually
  • Georgian: ჩვეულებრივ (čveulebriv) — as a rule; usually
  • German: hauptsächlich — as a rule; usually
  • German: überhaupt — as a rule; usually
  • German: üblicherweise — as a rule; usually
  • Greek: συνήθως (syníthos) — as a rule; usually
  • Hebrew: בְּדֶּרֶךְ כְּלָל (b'dérech klal) — as a rule; usually
  • Hebrew: בד״כ — as a rule; usually
  • Hindi: सामान्यतः (sāmānyataḥ) — as a rule; usually
  • Hungarian: általában — as a rule; usually
  • Indonesian: biasanya — as a rule; usually
  • Italian: in genere — as a rule; usually
  • Italian: di solito — as a rule; usually
  • Japanese: 通常 (tsūjō) — as a rule; usually
  • Japanese: 一般に (ippan ni) — as a rule; usually
  • Japanese: たいてい (taitei) — as a rule; usually
  • Latin: ferē — as a rule; usually
  • Latin: fermē — as a rule; usually
  • Māori: ko te tikanga — as a rule; usually
  • Middle English: generally — as a rule; usually
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vanligvis — as a rule; usually
  • Norwegian Bokmål: hovedsakelig — as a rule; usually
  • Norwegian Bokmål: som oftest — as a rule; usually
  • Old English: ġewunelīċe — as a rule; usually
  • Polish: zwykle — as a rule; usually
  • Polish: zazwyczaj — as a rule; usually
  • Polish: z reguły — as a rule; usually
  • Portuguese: geralmente — as a rule; usually
  • Portuguese: em geral — as a rule; usually
  • Russian: обы́чно (obýčno) — as a rule; usually
  • Russian: как пра́вило (kak právilo) — as a rule; usually
  • Scottish Gaelic: san fharsaingeachd — as a rule; usually
  • Serbo-Croatian: obično — as a rule; usually
  • Spanish: generalmente — as a rule; usually
  • Spanish: por lo general — as a rule; usually
  • Swedish: i största allmänhet — as a rule; usually
  • Turkish: çoğunlukla — as a rule; usually
  • Ukrainian: зазвича́й (zazvyčáj) — as a rule; usually
  • Ukrainian: як пра́вило (jak právylo) — as a rule; usually
  • Volapük: in valem — as a rule; usually
  • Walloon: å pus sovint — as a rule; usually
  • Yiddish: בכלל (bikhlal) — as a rule; usually
  • Arabic: بِوَجْهٍ عَامّ (biwajhin ʕāmm) — without reference to specific details
  • Armenian: ընդհանրապես (əndhanrapes) — without reference to specific details
  • Azerbaijani: ümumilikdə — without reference to specific details
  • Azerbaijani: ümumiyyətlə — without reference to specific details
  • Azerbaijani: ümumiyyətcə — without reference to specific details
  • Azerbaijani: ümumiliklə — without reference to specific details
  • Bashkir: дөйөм (döyöm) — without reference to specific details
  • Bashkir: ғөмүмән (ğömümən) — without reference to specific details
  • Bulgarian: общо взето (obšto vzeto) — without reference to specific details
  • Finnish: yleisesti — without reference to specific details
  • French: généralement — without reference to specific details
  • Georgian: ზოგადად (zogadad) — without reference to specific details
  • Georgian: მეტწილად (meṭc̣ilad) — without reference to specific details
  • German: allgemein — without reference to specific details
  • German: generell — without reference to specific details
  • Greek: γενικά (geniká) — without reference to specific details
  • Hungarian: általánosságban — without reference to specific details
  • Indonesian: umumnya — without reference to specific details
  • Irish: de ghnáth — without reference to specific details
  • Italian: in generale — without reference to specific details
  • Italian: a grandi linee — without reference to specific details
  • Japanese: 通常 (tsūjō) — without reference to specific details
  • Japanese: 一般に (ippan ni) — without reference to specific details
  • Japanese: 大まかに (ōmaka ni) — without reference to specific details
  • Middle English: generally — without reference to specific details
  • Norwegian Bokmål: generelt — without reference to specific details
  • Norwegian Bokmål: allment — without reference to specific details
  • Polish: ogólnie — without reference to specific details
  • Portuguese: de modo geral — without reference to specific details
  • Portuguese: em geral — without reference to specific details
  • Russian: вообще́ (voobščé) — without reference to specific details
  • Russian: по большо́му счёту (po bolʹšómu sčótu) — without reference to specific details
  • Scottish Gaelic: san fharsaingeachd — without reference to specific details
  • Serbo-Croatian: općenito — without reference to specific details
  • Spanish: generalmente — without reference to specific details
  • Ukrainian: взагалі́ (vzahalí) — without reference to specific details
  • Ukrainian: в ціло́му (v cilómu) — without reference to specific details
Real reading context

generally in complete knowledge articles