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

Its argument is that the general-purpose robot hand of the future will win by handling tools reliably, not by being dazzlingly complex. — New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2026

The gap between demos and reality As Balzano explained, humanoid robots are regularly marketed as flexible, general-purpose workers. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026

Friday’s announcement comes two weeks after tech columnist Jason Aten said that Meta’s new general-purpose AI agent Muse sent him an unsolicited notification referencing a thread between him and a co-worker over Apple Messages. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026

An additional general-purpose room can be used as a secondary lounge space, an office, or a gym. — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for general-purpose

• multipurpose
• purpose