as in stereotype
an idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation
the generalization that children who like violent entertainment grow up to be violent criminals
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of generalization
One generalization about the suburbs is that the particular discontent burbling there was entirely unique.
—
Niela Orr, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2026
Some dementia cases may have been missed, and the results are from a Swedish population, which may limit generalization.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 21 Dec. 2025
The sample is going to be used to make generalizations about everybody, Turow said, by using complex statistical modeling and artificial intelligence.
—Susan Tompor, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Walz said in a press conference on Thursday that his office is working to bring those involved in fraud in Minnesota to justice, but said it can be done without generalizations about a whole group of people.
—Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for generalization
Niela Orr, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2026
Some dementia cases may have been missed, and the results are from a Swedish population, which may limit generalization.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 21 Dec. 2025
The sample is going to be used to make generalizations about everybody, Turow said, by using complex statistical modeling and artificial intelligence.
—Susan Tompor, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Walz said in a press conference on Thursday that his office is working to bring those involved in fraud in Minnesota to justice, but said it can be done without generalizations about a whole group of people.
—Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for generalization
Recent Examples of Synonyms for generalization
Noun
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Jordan's role on All My Children was originally played by the late Chadwick Boseman, who was fired after just one week on set after criticizing Reggie's character arc for playing into racial stereotypes (Jordan and Boseman would later go on to star together in 2018's Black Panther).—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Jan. 2026
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Boseman was allegedly let go after voicing his concerns that Reggie’s character relied too much on racial stereotypes.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In Finland, the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) has completed an initial concept-level safety assessment of the LDR-50 SMR developed by Steady Energy.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Jan. 2026
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Start Small One of the key ideas in This Is Strategy is the concept of the smallest viable audience.—
William Arruda,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Steele briefly considered taking a year off and perhaps getting into broadcasting, but that notion didn’t last long.—
Tim Casey,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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Opponents invoke abstract notions of sovereignty while ignoring practical realities.—
Paul McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This perspective is not at odds with the conception of wellbeing across the generations.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
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The board has been envisioned as a technocratic body designed to resolve conflicts around the world, branching out from its original conception as a body designed to solve the war in Gaza.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Those are, indeed, pat, credible theories and predictions.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Jan. 2026
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But now, in the planet’s capital city of Apperax, a murder is committed with no suspects, forensics or theories.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Generalization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/generalization. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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