generalise

IPA/ˈdʒen.ər.əl.aɪz/
IPA/ˈdʒen.ər.əl.aɪz/

generalise — verb

  • generalisepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • generalises3rd person singular
  • generalising-ing form
  • generalisedpast simple

1. to make a broad statement claiming that a rule applies in every situation, when

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to make a broad statement claiming that a rule applies in every situation, when you have only seen or experienced a few examples

Example

After trying one durian fruit, Grandma Rosa generalised about all Southeast Asian food from that single experience.

generalise + about + noun phrase for broad claims

Dr. Ofori warned that we cannot generalise from a single study to every patient.

generalise + from + noun phrase + to + noun phrase

Common collocations
  • cannot generalise
  • generalise about
  • generalise from
  • generalise that
  • generalise on the basis of
  • generalise from personal experience
Synonyms
  • oversimplify

    stronger negative connotation; implies the claim is not just broad but wrong because it ignores complexity

  • stereotype

    specifically about groups of people, with a judgmental tone suggesting bias

  • lump together

    informal phrasal verb meaning to treat different things as the same

Antonyms
  • specify

    to state something in a precise, narrow way rather than broadly

  • qualify

    to add conditions or exceptions to a statement, making it less general

Grammar Patterns

generalise + about + noun phrase

generalise + from + noun phrase + to + noun phrase

generalise + that-clause

Usage Note

Often carries a cautionary or critical tone (cannot generalise, try not to generalise, it is unfair to generalise). The preposition about introduces the topic of the claim; from introduces the limited evidence; to introduces the broad scope. A that-clause states the sweeping rule directly.

Common Mistakes

We can generalise all students like studying.
We cannot generalise about all students' preferences.
generalise is typically intransitive; use about/from before the object.
The data generalises every case.
We can generalise from the data to other cases.
generalise does not take a direct object meaning 'apply to'; use from...to... to show the reasoning path.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four expressions describe making a claim that is broader than the evidence supports, but they differ in tone and scope. Generalise is the most neutral and academic term — it describes the cognitive act of inferring a general pattern from specific cases, and is often used in cautious language ('it is difficult to generalise'). Oversimplify is more critical, suggesting that the speaker has ignored important details or nuances. Stereotype is the most charged word, reserved specifically for generalisations about groups of people, and implies prejudice or unfair bias. Lump together is the most informal option, a phrasal verb used in everyday conversation to criticise someone for treating distinct items as identical ('You can't lump all indie films together'). In formal writing, generalise is the safest choice; in a heated discussion about social groups, stereotype may be more accurate.

generalise ↗oversimplify ↗stereotype ↗lump together ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • on the basis of
  • from personal experience
  • from limited data

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Generalise comes from the adjective general (from Latin generalis meaning 'of a class or kind', from genus 'kind, race') combined with the verb-forming suffix -ize/-ise. The verb form entered English in the early 1700s, borrowed through French généraliser, during a period when scientific and philosophical thinkers were developing methods of inductive reasoning.