general

[jen-er-uhl]

adjective

1. of or relating to all persons or things belonging to a group or category.

   a general meeting of the employees.

   Synonyms: catholic, ordinary, regular, prevailing, customary
   Antonyms: limited, special

2. of, relating to, or true of such persons or things in the main, with possible exceptions; common to most; prevalent; usual.

   the general mood of the people.

   Synonyms: catholic, ordinary, regular, prevailing, customary

3. not limited to one class, field, product, service, etc.; miscellaneous.

   the general public;

   general science.

4. considering or dealing with overall characteristics, universal aspects, or important elements, especially without considering all details or specific aspects.

   general instructions; a general description;

   a general resemblance one to another.

5. not specific or definite.

   I could give them only a general idea of what was going on.

   Synonyms: approximate, imprecise, inexact, ill-defined
   Antonyms: precise, exact, definite

6. (of anesthesia or an anesthetic) causing loss of consciousness and abolishing sensitivity to pain throughout the body.

7. having extended command or superior or chief rank.

   the secretary general of the United Nations;

   the attorney general.

noun

1. Military.

   1. U.S. Army and Air Force.,  an officer ranking above a lieutenant general and below a general of the army or general of the air force.

   2. U.S. Army.,  an officer of any of the five highest ranks: a brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general, general, or general of the army.

   3. U.S. Marine Corps.,  an officer holding the highest rank in the corps.

   4. (in numerous armies) an officer in the highest, second, or third highest rank, as one ranking immediately below a field marshal in the British army.

2. Ecclesiastical.,  the chief official of a religious order.

3. something that is general; generality.

4. Archaic.,  general public.

general

/ ˈdʒɛnrəl, ˈdʒɛnərəl /

adjective

1. common; widespread

   a general feeling of horror at the crime

2. of, including, applying to, or participated in by all or most of the members of a group, category, or community

3. relating to various branches of an activity, profession, etc; not specialized

   general office work

4. including various or miscellaneous items

   general knowledge

   a general store

5. not specific as to detail; overall

   a general description of the merchandise

6. not definite; vague

   give me a general idea of when you will finish

7. applicable or true in most cases; usual

8. (prenominal or immediately postpositive) having superior or extended authority or rank

   general manager

   consul general

9. Also: pass. designating a degree awarded at some universities, studied at a lower academic standard than an honours degree See honours

10. med relating to or involving the entire body or many of its parts; systemic

11. logic (of a statement) not specifying an individual subject but quantifying over a domain

noun

1. an officer of a rank senior to lieutenant general, esp one who commands a large military formation

2. any person acting as a leader and applying strategy or tactics

3. a general condition or principle: opposed to particular

4. a title for the head of a religious order, congregation, etc

5. med short for general anaesthetic

6. archaic,  the people; public

7. generally; mostly or usually

Other Word Forms

• generalness noun
• pseudogeneral adjective
• undergeneral noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of general¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin generālis, equivalent to gener- (stem of genus “race, kind”) + -ālis adjective suffix; genus, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of general¹

C13: from Latin generālis of a particular kind, from genus kind

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in general,

   1. with respect to the whole class referred to; as a whole.

      He likes people in general.

   2. as a rule; usually.

      In general, the bus is here by 9 a.m.

see in general; on (general) principle.

Synonym Study

General, common, popular, universal agree in the idea of being nonexclusive and widespread. General means belonging to, or prevailing throughout, a whole class or body collectively, irrespective of individuals: a general belief. Common means shared by all, and belonging to one as much as another: a common interest; common fund; but use of this sense is frequently avoided because of ambiguity of sense. Popular means belonging to, adapted for, or favored by the people or the public generally, rather than by a particular (especially a superior) class: the popular conception; a popular candidate. Universal means found everywhere, and with no exceptions: a universal longing.

Example Sentences

“Today’s settlement, if approved, will resolve the plaintiffs’ remaining legacy claims,” said Aparna Sridhar, deputy general counsel for Anthropic, in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

After the party's success at May's local and mayoral elections, he argued the 2026 races for the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd would be "an essential building block" ahead of a UK general election.

From BBC

“But I love theme parks in general,” he continues.

From Los Angeles Times

As conference season begins for the UK's political parties, Reform UK will be seeking to use its gathering in Birmingham to maintain the momentum it has gathered since the general election.

From BBC

He was Scotland's only remaining Labour MP in 2015 after Labour lost 40 of its 41 seats in an SNP general election landslide.

From BBC

When To Use

What does general mean?

General describes all people or things belonging to a group. A general election, for example, is an election that is held on a regular schedule.General can also describe all people or things with possible exceptions. When we describe a word as being used in general, we mean that it’s mostly used that way but there might be a few exceptions to it.General also describes something that is not specific or definite, as in While Nat doesn’t have all the details about the party yet, they have a general idea what it’s going to be like.In the military a general is a high-ranking officer, although each branch of the military ranks officers a little differently. In the U.S. Army, a general is an officer of the five highest ranks—brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general, general, or general of the army, all of which have their own authorities and responsibilities. In the U.S. Marine Corps, a general is the highest-ranking officer in the entire corps. Example: The general consensus is that the movie was pretty terrible.