generalist

noun

gen·​er·​al·​ist ˈjen-rə-list 

ˈje-nə-

: one whose skills, interests, or habits are varied or unspecialized

Examples of generalist in a Sentence

The staff includes both generalists and specialists.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Generalist Marketer: Advantages And Limitations Companies, particularly with limited budgets, often decide to hire a more junior or mid-level generalist who understands a little about a lot. —Natalie Nathanson, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025

The lineages with more diverse ecologies began to disappear, even the terrestrial generalists. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 16 Apr. 2025

The experts still needed to trade some information with one another, and the generalist — which had a decent but not detailed understanding of each subject — could help coordinate interactions between the experts. —Cade Metz, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025

Being a generalist, in my view, is becoming increasingly risky in marketing. —Dan Kahn, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

generalist

noun

gen·​er·​al·​ist ˈjen-(ə-)rə-ləst 

: a person whose skills or interests extend to several different fields

Medical Definition

generalist

noun

gen·​er·​al·​ist ˈjen-(ə-)rə-ləst 

: an individual whose skills or interests extend to several different medical fields

especially : general practitioner