as in notions
an idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation
the generalization that children who like violent entertainment grow up to be violent criminals
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Recent Examples of generalizations
There’s a false perception in pop music that the best way to connect with the masses is to keep things broad — that vague generalizations are easier for people to latch onto.
—
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2026
Parachute Journalism Parachute journalism refers to the practice of briefly visiting a location, observing limited aspects of it, and subsequently producing articles that may rely on broad generalizations about the destination.
—Suzanne Dundas, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
Pestaina also cautioned against broad generalizations about savings.
—Liz Neporent, ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
If there are any generalizations to be made about how different areas raise different types of players, Latson is qualified to make them.
—Rebecca Shore Winn, Southern Living, 18 Feb. 2026
Those decisions remain governed by statute and must be based on individualized assessments, not generalizations.
—Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
They're exhausted by the constant airing of grievances having little to do with what's actually going on in the country, and by the broad generalizations about, well, everything, that ignore context, nuance and facts to promote a political viewpoint.
—Brenda Looper, Arkansas Online, 11 Feb. 2026
At Tuesday’s meeting, the issue hit close to home as South Asian residents challenged generalizations made about their community.
—Dallas Morning News, 4 Feb. 2026
But sweeping generalizations flatten reality and do a disservice to institutions such as Roosevelt — and students such as mine.
—Ryan Gable, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2026
Parachute Journalism Parachute journalism refers to the practice of briefly visiting a location, observing limited aspects of it, and subsequently producing articles that may rely on broad generalizations about the destination.
—Suzanne Dundas, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
Pestaina also cautioned against broad generalizations about savings.
—Liz Neporent, ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
If there are any generalizations to be made about how different areas raise different types of players, Latson is qualified to make them.
—Rebecca Shore Winn, Southern Living, 18 Feb. 2026
Those decisions remain governed by statute and must be based on individualized assessments, not generalizations.
—Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
They're exhausted by the constant airing of grievances having little to do with what's actually going on in the country, and by the broad generalizations about, well, everything, that ignore context, nuance and facts to promote a political viewpoint.
—Brenda Looper, Arkansas Online, 11 Feb. 2026
At Tuesday’s meeting, the issue hit close to home as South Asian residents challenged generalizations made about their community.
—Dallas Morning News, 4 Feb. 2026
But sweeping generalizations flatten reality and do a disservice to institutions such as Roosevelt — and students such as mine.
—Ryan Gable, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for generalizations
Noun
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Atlanta — Going into retirement, 58-year-old David White of Atlanta, Georgia, had some preconceived notions.—
Steve Hartman,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
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With a cast drawn from comedy-scene friends such as Kate Berlant and Conner O’Malley all tuned into a very specific wavelength, the movie somehow surpasses conventional notions of camp and irony to exist in a genuinely unique space all its own.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Not stereotypes, but tropes flipped on their head, and the sense of where positions and relationships lie, and then how characters just fall beautifully into that and adjust to that, especially Tucker, is gonna be fun to explore.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
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The findings add to a growing body of evidence that Neanderthals — our closest extinct human relatives — were cognitively and psychologically more similar to modern humans than previously thought, rather than the simple-minded, brutish cavemen of earlier stereotypes.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
Noun
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This includes physical assets - like plants, equipment, and products - to concepts like customer orders or financial transactions.—
Steve Banker,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
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In recent years, BMW has shown a willingness to put its Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este concepts, like the Skytop roadster and Speedtop shooting brake, into production, but there appear to be no plans to do the same with the Vision BMW Alpina as of now.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
15 May 2026
Noun
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Some say the country is a secular republic founded on 18th-century conceptions of human reason and natural law.—
Thomas Tweed,
The Conversation,
24 Apr. 2026
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In reaction against the waste of life and ill-success of Mazzini’s program, moderate opinion tended to crystallize around federal conceptions of the solution of the Italian problem.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Generalizations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/generalizations. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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