general-purpose

adjective

gen·​er·​al-pur·​pose ˈjen-rəl-ˈpər-pəs 

ˈje-nə-

: suitable to be used for two or more basic purposes

Synonyms of general-purpose

• unlimited
• general
• unrestricted

Examples of general-purpose in a Sentence

a general-purpose glue for routine household repairs

Recent Examples on the Web

Muse, the new general-purpose AI agent from Meta, can expose sensitive information when users share conversations through web links, researchers reported Monday. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026

Physical Intelligence and Skild AI are training the robotics foundation models that will let a general-purpose robot make an omelet. — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

SpaceX has yet to publish details about a general-purpose cargo version of Starship. — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026

For general-purpose use, Microsoft already taps its own central processing units as well as silicon from Intel and AMD. — Jordan Novet, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for general-purpose

• multipurpose
• purpose