generalize

verb

gen·​er·​al·​ize ˈjen-rə-ˌlīz  ˈje-nə- 

generalized; generalizing

transitive verb

1

: to give a general form to

2

a

: to derive or induce (a general conception or principle) from particulars

b

: to draw a general conclusion from

3

: to give general applicability to

generalize a law

also : to make indefinite

intransitive verb

1

: to form generalizations

also : to make vague or indefinite statements

She's always generalizing about men.

2

: to spread or extend throughout the body

generalizability

ˌjen-rə-ˌlī-zə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

ˌje-nə-

noun

generalizable

ˌjen-rə-ˈlī-zə-bəl 

ˌje-nə-

adjective

generalizer noun

Examples of generalize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With LBMs, robots can learn and generalize behaviors across tasks—bringing us closer to general-purpose humanoid assistants that can operate in real-world environments. —Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025

One user offered a reminder not to generalize. —Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025

But bizarrely, the ability to simulate and mimic higher levels of capability sometimes seems to generalize to higher and higher levels of capacity, even beyond the apparent top of the scale. —Big Think, 11 Aug. 2025

As the researchers hypothesized, these basic models started to fail catastrophically when asked to generalize novel sets of transformations that were not directly demonstrated in the training data. —Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

general entry 1 + -ize

First Known Use

1710, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for generalize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize

Kids Definition

generalize

verb

gen·​er·​al·​ize ˈjen-(ə-)rə-ˌlīz 

generalized; generalizing

: to put in the form of a general rule : draw or state a general conclusion from a number of items or instances

Medical Definition

generalize

intransitive verb

gen·​er·​al·​ize

variants or British generalise

ˈjen-(ə-)rə-ˌlīz 

generalized or British generalised; generalizing or British generalising

: to spread or extend through all of a body part or region or through most of the entire body