generally

adverb

gen·​er·​al·​ly ˈjen-rə-lē 

ˈje-nə-, 

ˈje-nər-lē

: in a general manner: such as

a

: in disregard of specific instances and with regard to an overall picture

generally speaking

b

: as a rule : usually

Synonyms of generally

• usually
• normally
• typically

Examples of generally in a Sentence

He talked generally about his plans.

I had a generally good day.

It generally takes about a month for the shipment to arrive.

When stocks are up, bonds are generally down.

This town is generally regarded as a good place to raise kids.

Recent Examples on the Web

The committee challenges will be first voted on by the caucus’ powerful Steering and Policy Committee, which is generally aligned with party leadership, before the full caucus will have any input. — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026

The golden age of detective fiction is generally considered to have been in the 1920s and ’30s. — New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

While a credit card advertising a 0% APR generally does not charge interest on qualifying purchases or balance transfers for a period of time, there is a lot of fine print to read. — Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 14 Oct. 2026

Although lung cancer is generally considered a disease among people who are older, lung adenocarcinoma is more likely to occur in younger people than other types of lung cancer. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing generally

• generally speaking

Kids Definition

generally

adverb

gen·​er·​al·​ly ˈjen-(ə-)rə-lē 

ˈjen-ər-lē

1

: for the most part

generally speaking

2

: as a rule : usually