generalization

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gen·er·al·i·za·tion

(jĕn′ər-ə-lĭ-zā′shən)

1. The act or an instance of generalizing.

2. A principle, statement, or idea having general application.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

generalization

(ˌdʒɛnrəlaɪˈzeɪʃən) or

generalisation

1. a principle, theory, etc, with general application

2. the act or an instance of generalizing

3. (Psychology) psychol the evoking of a response learned to one stimulus by a different but similar stimulus. See also conditioning

4. (Logic) logic the derivation of a general statement from a particular one, formally by prefixing a quantifier and replacing a subject term by a bound variable. If the quantifier is universal (universal generalization) the argument is not in general valid; if it is existential (existential generalization) it is valid

5. (Logic) logic any statement ascribing a property to every member of a class (universal generalization) or to one or more members (existential generalization)

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

gen•er•al•i•za•tion

(ˌdʒɛn ər ə ləˈzeɪ ʃən)

n.

1. the act or process of generalizing.

2. a general statement, idea, or principle.

a. a proposition asserting something to be true of all members of a class or of an indefinite part of that class.

b. the process of obtaining such propositions.

4. the act or process of responding to a stimulus similar to but distinct from a conditioned stimulus.

[1755–65]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	generalization - reasoning from detailed facts to general principles inductive reasoning, generalisation, induction colligation - the connection of isolated facts by a general hypothesis
	2.	generalization - an idea or conclusion having general application; "he spoke in broad generalities" generalisation, generality idea, thought - the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about; "it was not a good idea"; "the thought never entered my mind" principle, rule - a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct; "their principles of composition characterized all their works"
	3.	generalization - the process of formulating general concepts by abstracting common properties of instances generalisation, abstraction theorisation, theorization - the production or use of theories
	4.	generalization - (psychology) transfer of a response learned to one stimulus to a similar stimulus stimulus generalisation, stimulus generalization, generalisation carry-over, transfer of training, transfer - application of a skill learned in one situation to a different but similar situation irradiation - (Pavolvian conditioning) the elicitation of a conditioned response by stimulation similar but not identical to the original stimulus psychological science, psychology - the science of mental life

generalization

noun generality, abstraction, sweeping statement, loose statement He was making sweeping generalizations to get his point across.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

zevšeobecnění

generalisering

Verallgemeinerung

generalización

généralisation

általánosítás

alhæfing

generalizzazione

zovšeobecnenie

genellemegenelleştirme

generalization

[ˌdʒenərəlaɪˈzeɪʃən] N → generalización f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

generalization

[ˌdʒɛnrəlaɪˈzeɪʃ^ən] generalisation (British) n → généralisation f
to make sweeping generalizations about sth → faire des généralisations à l'emporte-pièce sur qch

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

generalization

n → Verallgemeinerung f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

generalization

[ˌdʒɛn/ərəlaɪˈzeɪʃ/ən] n (often pej) → generalizzazione f

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

general

(ˈdʒenərəl) adjective

1. of, involving etc all, most or very many people, things etc. The general feeling is that he is stupid; His general knowledge is good although he is not good at mathematics.

2. covering a large number of cases. a general rule.

3. without details. I'll just give you a general idea of the plan.

4. (as part of an official title) chief. the Postmaster General.

noun

in the British army, (a person of) the rank next below field marshal. General Smith.

ˈgeneralize, ˈgeneralise verb

1. to make a general rule etc that can be applied to many cases, based on a number of cases. He's trying to generalize from only two examples.

2. to talk (about something) in general terms. We should stop generalizing and discuss each problem separately.

ˌgeneraliˈzation, ˌgeneraliˈsation noun

ˈgenerally adverb

usually; by most people; on the whole. He is generally disliked; He generally wins.

General Certificate of EducationGCEgeneral election

an election in which the voters in every constituency are involved.

general practitionerGPgeneral store

a shop that sells a wide range of goods.

as a general rule

usually; in most cases. As a general rule, we don't employ unskilled workers.

in general

usually; in most cases; most of (a group of people etc). People in general were not very sympathetic; People were in general not very sympathetic.

the general public

the people of a town, country etc, considered as a group.

gen·er·al·i·za·tion

n. generalización.

References in classic literature ?

"Taking arsenic is followed by death" is a good empirical generalization; it may have exceptions, but they will be rare.

View in context

The result of to-day, which haunts the mind and cannot be escaped, will presently be abridged into a word, and the principle that seemed to explain nature will itself be included as one example of a bolder generalization. In the thought of to-morrow there is a power to upheave all thy creed, all the creeds, all the literatures of the nations, and marshal thee to a heaven which no epic dream has yet depicted.

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Levin was confirmed in this generalization by observing that his brother did not take questions affecting the public welfare or the question of the immortality of the soul a bit more to heart than he did chess problems, or the ingenious construction of a new machine.

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She scored that sheet very effectively, and, choosing a fresh one, began at a great rate with a generalization upon the structure of human society, which was a good deal bolder than her custom.

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This was the impression he got of them--a generalization tempered by knowledge that there was bound to be a certain percentage of scoundrels among them.

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But he was not capable of generalization. He saw only the antagonism between the concrete, flesh-and-blood Genevieve and the great, abstract, living Game.

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Thus in a succession of characters Plato represents the successive stages of morality, beginning with the Athenian gentleman of the olden time, who is followed by the practical man of that day regulating his life by proverbs and saws; to him succeeds the wild generalization of the Sophists, and lastly come the young disciples of the great teacher, who know the sophistical arguments but will not be convinced by them, and desire to go deeper into the nature of things.

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"Why do you say that?" asked my wife, who never would let a generalization pass unchallenged.

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Already he had made the generalization that of the two, the captain was the superior god, giving many orders that the mate obeyed.

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I wondered if Moxon knew the significance and breadth of his thought--the scope of this momentous generalization; or had he arrived at his philosophic faith by the tortuous and uncertain road of observation?

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It is your own empirical generalization, and it is correct.

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The most usual generalizations adopted by almost all the historians are: freedom, equality, enlightenment, progress, civilization, and culture.