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

Unlike general-purpose image generators, IllustratorMagic is designed to maintain character consistency throughout a book. — Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 25 Oct. 2026

Any function whose work can be pointed at a proper model of its underlying business, instead of at a general-purpose language model, is starting to compound the same way Anthropic’s engineering did a year ago. — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

AngelAi has been developed inside that environment, giving the platform exposure to the mechanics of lending that a general-purpose AI system would not have. — Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026

The technical choice becomes easier to understand when compared with the way general-purpose generative AI typically operates. — Ethan Stone, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for general-purpose

• multipurpose
• purpose