generalization

noun

gen·​er·​al·​i·​za·​tion ˌjen-rə-lə-ˈzā-shən  ˌje-nə- 

1

: the act or process of generalizing

2

: a general statement, law, principle, or proposition

made broad generalizations about women

3

: the act or process whereby a learned response is made to a stimulus similar to but not identical with the conditioned stimulus

Synonyms of generalization

• stereotype
• concept
• notion
• conception
• theory

Examples of generalization in a Sentence

He made several sweeping generalizations about women.

She was prone to generalization.

Recent Examples on the Web

Training used as many as 128 GPUs and approximately 21,000 GPU hours, with experiments showing progressively better tracking and generalization as data, model size, and compute increased. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026

But to make some generalization that all career women are psychotic because Glenn Close happened to be psychotic at the end of that movie is just silly. — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026

The pace of development is evident, even if completely general-purpose humanoids still confront challenges with dexterity, energy efficiency, human safety, and robust real-world generalization. — Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

At last week’s meeting, though, Warsh spoke largely in platitudes and generalizations. — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

generalize + -ation

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for generalization

• acclimatisation
• acclimatization
• acidification
• actualization
• annualization
• autocorrelation
• autoregulation
• beatification
• beneficiation
• biodegradation
• biotransformation
• bureaucratization

Kids Definition

generalization

noun

gen·​er·​al·​i·​za·​tion ˌjen-(ə-)rə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

1

: the act or process of generalizing

2

: a general statement, law, principle, or proposition

Medical Definition

generalization

noun

gen·​er·​al·​iza·​tion

variants or British generalisation

ˌjen-(ə-)rə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

1

: the action or process of becoming widespread or diffuse

secondary generalization of a partial seizure

2

: the act or process whereby a learned response is made to a stimulus similar to but not identical with the conditioned stimulus