general-purpose

adjective

gen·​er·​al-pur·​pose ˈjen-rəl-ˈpər-pəs How to pronounce general-purpose (audio)
ˈje-nə-
Synonyms of general-purposenext
: suitable to be used for two or more basic purposes

Examples of general-purpose in a Sentence

a general-purpose glue for routine household repairs
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This bodes well for what can be done with general-purpose AI. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026 Joseph Fuller, the Harvard Business School professor who co-founded the school’s Managing the Future of Work project, states that AI is not an information technology but a general-purpose technology. Aslesha Mehta, Fortune, 26 May 2026 The company develops both general-purpose intelligent robots and specialized industrial robots. Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 26 May 2026 Shares climbed almost 12% over the five-day stretch as Wall Street analysts issued bullish calls and the market continued to come around to our idea that cybersecurity names are not threatened by AI adoption and should not be lumped in with general-purpose enterprise software stocks. Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 23 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for general-purpose

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of general-purpose was in 1894

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Cite this Entry

“General-purpose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/general-purpose. Accessed 27 May. 2026.

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