as in unlimited
not limited or specialized in application or purpose
a general-purpose glue for routine household repairs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of general-purpose
Instead, these tools were trained on huge amounts of text and media drawn largely from across the internet and then launched as general-purpose chatbots.
—
Robert Maloy, The Conversation, 17 Oct. 2025
The next era of tech will be about who makes general-purpose AI software that consumers want, and who is able to do it profitably.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Commissioned by the Army Ordinance Corps at the midpoint of World War II, ENIAC was the world’s first electronic general-purpose computer.
—Angus Fletcher, Big Think, 29 Sep. 2025
For now, and possibly forever, advances in AI are more likely to be iterative, like other general-purpose technologies.
—Michael C. Horowitz, Foreign Affairs, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for general-purpose
Robert Maloy, The Conversation, 17 Oct. 2025
The next era of tech will be about who makes general-purpose AI software that consumers want, and who is able to do it profitably.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Commissioned by the Army Ordinance Corps at the midpoint of World War II, ENIAC was the world’s first electronic general-purpose computer.
—Angus Fletcher, Big Think, 29 Sep. 2025
For now, and possibly forever, advances in AI are more likely to be iterative, like other general-purpose technologies.
—Michael C. Horowitz, Foreign Affairs, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for general-purpose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for general-purpose
Adjective
-
Under federal law, super PACs are permitted to accept unlimited contributions, whereas PACs are subject to donation limits.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Get a year of unlimited access for $25 $20 per month.—
Lila Allen,
Architectural Digest,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Amir Mahmoud is a general assignment and transportation beat reporter at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.—
Amir Mahmoud,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Veteran edge rusher Bradley Chubb said interim general manager Champ Kelly kept him and his agent Erik Burkhardt updated in the days before the trade deadline.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
After this season, the 29-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Perez would be set to hit unrestricted free agent in 2027.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“General-purpose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/general-purpose. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share