general

adjective gen·er·al \ ˈjen-rəl , ˈje-nə- \

|Updated on: 18 Jul 2018

Examples: general in a Sentence

Definition of general

1 : involving, applicable to, or affecting the whole

2 : involving, relating to, or applicable to every member of a class, kind, or group

the general equation of a straight line

3 : not confined by specialization or careful limitation

a general outline

4 : belonging to the common nature of a group of like individuals : generic

the general characteristics of a species

5 a : applicable to or characteristic of the majority of individuals involved : prevalent

the general opinion

b : concerned or dealing with universal rather than particular aspects

6 : relating to, determined by, or concerned with main elements rather than limited details

bearing a general resemblance to the original

7 : holding superior rank or taking precedence over others similarly titled

the general manager

See general defined for English-language learners

See general defined for kids

Examples of general in a Sentence

They have issued a general warning.
The general consensus is that we should go ahead.
The witness was able to provide a very general description of the thief.
She began her talk with some general observations about the state of the industry.
The book provides a good general introduction to the subject.
My concerns are all general—nothing specific.
The details of the new plan are different, but it's based on the same general concept.
My general impression was that things were going well.
They were found in the same general area.
I'm going in the general direction of the store.

Recent Examples of general from the Web

The Blues’ general manager, Brian Rooney, and attorney Thomas Gerarde, who is representing the city, could not be reached Friday.

— don stacom, Courant Community, "Spectator Sues Bristol Blues Over Injury From Broken Bat," 14 July 2018
In their new positions, Karow and Sorenson are to work together to manage HLI’s businesss strategy, such as how to incorporate genomics machine learning and clinical imaging to present maximum value to customers and to science in general.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Human Longevity names interim CEO," 13 July 2018
On the way back to the hotel, Patrick asks a few questions about the tennis world and the psychology of tennis players in general.

— Longreads, "Tennis vs. Tennis," 13 July 2018
At the Bend location, general manager Sandi Harding said there are no plans to close.

— annie zak, Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska’s last 2 Blockbuster stores are closing, leaving just one in the U.S.," 13 July 2018
Jeff Berding, FC Cincinnati president and general manager, announced Friday the club's July 28 friendly against Espanyol of Spain's La Liga.

— charlie hatch, Cincinnati.com, "Scouting report: FC Cincinnati hosts Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday night at Nippert Stadium," 13 July 2018
Having dealt with depression opened my heart to have more empathy for people in general.

— raisa bruner, Time, "Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds Is On a New Kind of Mission for the Mormon Church," 12 July 2018
The act got a hearty laugh out of Kings general manager Vlade Divac, who was sitting courtside near Russell.

— noel harris, sacbee, "Bill Russell flipped off Vince Carter at a Kings game. Vlade Divac’s reaction is great," 11 July 2018
John Grizzaffi, president and general manager of Stein Distributing, at 601 N. Phillippi St., agreed.

— sven berg, idahostatesman, "A 60-year-old fuel terminal could leave Boise’s Bench. Here’s what could replace it.," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'general.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of general

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin generalis, from gener-, genus kind, class — more at kin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

general Synonyms

general

noun

Definition of general

1 : something (such as a concept, principle, or statement) that involves or is applicable to the whole

2 : superior general

3 archaic : the general public : people

4 a : general officer

b : a commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps who ranks above a lieutenant general and whose insignia is four stars — compare admiral

— in general

: for the most part : generally

In general, things are going as planned.

Recent Examples of general from the Web

Wolff, the deputy director general of the World Trade Organization.

— michael joe murphy, OrlandoSentinel.com, "World trade — what everyone needs to know," 11 July 2018
In March, Kenya's auditor general said the health ministry is missing 11 billion shillings ($108 million), a major concern for a nation that gets numerous funds from international donors.

— faith karimi, CNN, "Kenyan President orders top officials to take lie-detector tests in corruption crackdown," 2 June 2018
Teachers and school funding A rolling wave of teacher protests, demanding higher pay and higher school funding in general, cut across many states in March.

— Washington Post, "These are the four largest protests since Trump was inaugurated," 31 May 2018
Not only is there workplace inequality in general, ranging from salary to harassment, there's a huge part of this puzzle missing.

— katya foreman | wwd, latimes.com, "In Cannes, Amber Heard chats about big hair and gender equality," 15 May 2018
The state's defender general said he was being placed in a treatment facility on Friday, but would not say where.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Vermont teen accused of planning school shooting released," 27 Apr. 2018
Apple in general has been much more stringent than Google has been with app developers.

— lauren goode, WIRED, "App Permissions Don't Tell Us Nearly Enough About Our Apps," 14 Apr. 2018
Threats to boycott the CMA, which runs the annual CMA Awards and CMA Festival, and country music in general popped up on social media after his appointment was announced.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "After backlash, Mike Huckabee quickly resigns from Country Music Association board | The Kansas City Star," 2 Mar. 2018
But Pakistan’s army, which fought a 22-month campaign from 2014 to evict militants from North Waziristan, is trying to transform the town from a byword for extremism to a showcase of the stability to which the generals say the country is returning.

— The Economist, "The Pakistani army has got serious about defeating domestic terrorism," 28 Feb. 2018

Origin and Etymology of general

derivative of ¹general

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1550

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

GENERAL Defined for English Language Learners

general

adjective

Definition of general for English Language Learners

: of, relating to, or affecting all the people or things in a group : involving or including many or most people
: relating to the main or major parts of something rather than the details : not specific
—used to indicate that a description relates to an entire person or thing rather than a particular part

GENERAL Defined for Kids

general

adjective gen·er·al \ ˈje-nə-rəl , ˈjen-rəl \

Definition of general for Students

1 : having to do with the whole : applying to more than just a small area or group

It's a matter of general interest.

2 : not specific or detailed

The book is a good general introduction to football.

3 : involving or including many or most people

Her plans won general acceptance.

4 : not specialized

a general store

general

noun

Definition of general for Students

: a military officer ranking above a colonel

— in general

: for the most part

In general, I like school.

Medical Dictionary

general

adjective gen·er·al \ ˈjen-(ə-)rəl \

medical Definition of general

1 : not confined by specialization or careful limitation

a general surgeon

2 : belonging to the common nature of a group of like individuals

the general characteristics of a species

3 : involving or affecting practically the entire body or organism : not local

general infirmity

Law Dictionary

general

adjective gen·er·al \ ˈjen-rəl, ˈje-nə- \

legal Definition of general

1 : involving, applicable to, or affecting the whole

2 : involving, relating to, or applicable to every member of a class, kind, or group

3 : not confined by specialization or limitation

4 : relating to, determined by, or concerned with main elements rather than limiting details

5 : holding superior rank or taking precedence over others similarly titled

the general manager

Learn More about general

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for general Spanish Central: Translation of general Nglish: Translation of general for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of general for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about general

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up general? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

general

Definition of general

Examples of general in a Sentence

Recent Examples of general from the Web

Origin and Etymology of general

general Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

general

Definition of general

Recent Examples of general from the Web

Origin and Etymology of general

Phrases Related to GENERAL

Related Phrases

GENERAL Defined for English Language Learners

general

Definition of general for English Language Learners

GENERAL Defined for Kids

general

Definition of general for Students

general

Definition of general for Students

Medical Dictionary

general

medical Definition of general

Law Dictionary

general

legal Definition of general

Learn More about general

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Words We're Watching: 'Laze'

5 Words for Clumsy People

Test Your Emoji Exceptionalism

Trending: Ocasio-Cortez Sparks 'Socialism' Lookups

Ghost Word