overgeneralize

/ˌəʊvəˈdʒenrəlaɪz/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌəʊvərˈdʒenrəlaɪz/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌō-vər-ˈje-nə-rə-ˌlīz -ˈjen-rə-/ (ame, mw)

overgeneralize — verb

  • overgeneralizepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • overgeneralizeshe / she / it
  • overgeneralizedpast simple
  • overgeneralizing-ing form

1. to treat something as true for every member of a group after seeing only a few e

1.動詞及物 / 不及物C1
釋義

to treat something as true for every member of a group after seeing only a few examples, so the resulting claim ends up too wide to fit reality.

例句

Paloma warned her students not to overgeneralize about a whole country after a two-week visit.

overgeneralize about + noun group

Reporters often overgeneralize from a handful of interviews and miss the wider picture.

overgeneralize from + small sample

同義詞
  • stereotype

    stronger and more negative; carries the idea of a fixed social label, not just a hasty claim

  • oversimplify

    blurs detail rather than spreading a claim too widely; can apply to ideas as well as groups

  • generalize

    neutral parent verb — making a wider claim from particular cases; only becomes 'overgeneralize' when the move is unfair or unsupported

反義詞
  • specify

    name the exact case or group instead of speaking broadly

  • qualify

    add limits to a claim so it is not stretched too far

文法句型

overgeneralize about + noun

overgeneralize from + small set of cases

用法筆記

Subject is usually a person who is making a claim or judgement; object, if any, is the group or category being described. The verb almost always carries a negative tone — the speaker thinks the claim is unfair or wrong.

常見錯誤

❌Do not overgeneralize this rule for the whole school.
✅Do not overgeneralize about the whole school based on this rule.
💡the broad group goes after 'about', not as a direct object you act on.
❌I overgeneralized her.
✅I overgeneralized about her group.
💡the verb describes a too-wide claim, not an action done to one person.