generally

adverb

gen·​er·​al·​ly ˈjen-rə-lē 

ˈje-nə-,

ˈje-nər-lē

: in a general manner: such as

a

: in disregard of specific instances and with regard to an overall picture

generally speaking

b

: as a rule : usually

Synonyms

• commonly
• natch [slang]
• naturally
• normally
• ordinarily
• typically
• usually

Examples of generally in a Sentence

He talked generally about his plans.

I had a generally good day.

It generally takes about a month for the shipment to arrive.

When stocks are up, bonds are generally down.

This town is generally regarded as a good place to raise kids.

Recent Examples on the Web

OpenAI did expand its board, but the new members were generally also white men from the slice of Silicon Valley concerned that future, ultra-powerful AI could turn against humanity. —WIRED, 19 Nov. 2023

For optimal upkeep, her clients generally come in every two to four weeks for a trim and color touch up, and the toupee itself needs to be replaced every two to three months. —Andrea Mandell, Peoplemag, 18 Nov. 2023

Buccaneers quarterback Charlie Hutchison was running for his life on most pass attempts, and he was sacked, pressured, and generally pounded by the fierce Grossmont pass rush, which frequently blitzed waves of defenders up the middle and from the edge. —Richard J. Marcus, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Nov. 2023

Many international officials and experts familiar with the way death tolls are compiled in the territory say the overall numbers are generally reliable. —Raja Abdulrahim Yousef Masoud, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023

What the coverage lacked, generally, was voices from the communities surrounding Yale, where many young people live in daily dread of being shot. —Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 18 Nov. 2023

Wait times are generally long across the nation, as patients tell of waiting weeks or even months for appointments while dealing with ongoing pain or post-surgical rehab. —Mark Kreidler | Kaiser Health News, ABC News, 18 Nov. 2023

Until the mid-2000s, researchers generally thought that this mechanism would work only at extremely low temperatures, up to around 40 kelvin. —Davide Castelvecchi, Scientific American, 17 Nov. 2023

Relatively warm seawater is also eating away at the undersides of Antarctica’s ice shelves, causing grounding lines to retreat and generally accelerating the decline of ice sheets there. —WIRED, 7 Nov. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing generally

• generally speaking

• generally speaking

Kids Definition

generally

adverb

gen·​er·​al·​ly ˈjen-(ə-)rə-lē 

ˈjen-ər-lē

1

: for the most part

generally speaking

2

: as a rule : usually