as in general
belonging or relating to the whole
a love of big things—big cars, big meals—seems to be a generic trait of the American people
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Recent Examples of generic
What follows is a fairly generic musical retelling of Darin’s life that offers, simultaneously, insights into its eager-to-please star.
—
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2025
An attempt to try something new without veering too far from what came before resulted in a somewhat generic design that even a mid-cycle refresh couldn’t markedly improve.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2025
Republicans enjoyed an advantage in the generic congressional ballot, a broad indicator of how the next congressional elections may go, for the first two months of Trump’s term, but Democrats have taken a slight lead since then.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 24 Apr. 2025
The sculpted keycaps are nice, but the feel of the spacebar is different from the rest of the keys, and the more generic layout will bug long-time ThinkPad users.
—PC Magazine, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for generic
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2025
An attempt to try something new without veering too far from what came before resulted in a somewhat generic design that even a mid-cycle refresh couldn’t markedly improve.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2025
Republicans enjoyed an advantage in the generic congressional ballot, a broad indicator of how the next congressional elections may go, for the first two months of Trump’s term, but Democrats have taken a slight lead since then.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 24 Apr. 2025
The sculpted keycaps are nice, but the feel of the spacebar is different from the rest of the keys, and the more generic layout will bug long-time ThinkPad users.
—PC Magazine, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for generic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for generic
Adjective
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Indeed, a 2019 study by the Happiness Research Institute found that 73 percent of people who are happy with their homes also are happier in general.—
Matt Alderton,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
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The president long has demonstrated a general disdain for Tinseltown — despite his own past as a reality TV star — especially after its outpouring of support for former Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential run.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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By that point, the Heat was shooting 10 for 36 overall and 2 for 21 on threes, while Cleveland was shooting 23 for 44 overall and 11 for 23 on threes.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2025
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Understanding how an employee’s work corresponds with the organization’s goals speaks to the overall issue of alignment.—
Caitlin MacGregor,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Then the clams disappeared Nov. 29, 2021 Sparkman warned against taking common species for granted.—
Sean Greene,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2025
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Jessica Rock, Georgia's leading prosecutor for animal crimes, told USA TODAY that dog fighting rings are more common than people think.—
Krystal Nurse,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Texas's universal school choice program comes months after President Donald Trump directed multiple federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Education to prioritize school choice programs.—
Kayla Jimenez,
USA Today,
4 May 2025
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The shift in tactics to effectively 3-5-1-1 in late November may not have won universal backing from supporters.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Generic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/generic. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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