generalization
gb/d͡ʒˌɛnɚəlɪzˈeɪʃən/ us/d͡ʒˌɛnɚəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
B2
English
~ 7700
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
entity
1
broad statement about a group
A statement about a whole group of people or things, usually based on only a few examples and often not completely true.
Usage pattern:
make [a generalization] about [something/someone]
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse "generalization" with "in general." "In general" is used as a phrase to introduce an overall comment (e.g., "In general, people like music"), while "a generalization" is the noun for the kind of broad statement itself. Another common mistake is thinking that all generalizations are automatically wrong; in fact, some careful generalizations can be reasonable, but many casual ones are unfair or oversimplified.
Synonyms
stereotype (Often used when the generalization is fixed, widely shared, and usually negative about a group of people.)
|
sweeping statement (Stresses that the statement is very broad and likely ignores important details.)
Antonyms
specific statement (Focuses on one clear case or detail instead of a whole group.)
|
nuanced view (Highlights small differences instead of treating a group as all the same.)
Collocations
sweeping generalization
|broad generalization
|unfair generalization
|make a generalization
|overly simple generalization
|dangerous generalization
Themes
communication
|thinking
|society
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Saying that all teenagers are lazy is an unfair generalization.
- The article makes a sweeping generalization about immigrants based on a few extreme cases.
- He warned the team not to draw broad generalizations from such a small survey.
- Her comment about men was clearly a generalization, not a carefully researched claim.
- We should avoid making generalizations about a culture after a short visit.
Learner examples
- It is a generalization to say that all rich people are happy.
- The teacher told us not to make generalizations about other countries.
- This movie makes a bad generalization about women.
- That is just a generalization; many people are not like that.
- Be careful: a generalization can sound true but be wrong.
Noun
formal
C1
action
2
process of forming broad statements
The process of using a few examples to make a big conclusion about many people or things.
Usage pattern:
the generalization of [findings/results] from [a sample] to [a population]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "generalization" only for the final statement and forget it can also mean the process. In academic writing, it is common to talk about "the generalization of results" or "generalization from the sample," which refers to what researchers do with their findings, not just the sentences they say.
Synonyms
extrapolation (More common in technical or statistical contexts; focuses on extending known data to unknown cases.)
|
inference (Broader term for drawing a conclusion; not always about making broad group statements.)
Antonyms
particularization (Focuses on specifying individual cases rather than forming broad conclusions.)
Collocations
generalization from limited data
|generalization of results
|limits of generalization
|allow generalization to
|prevent generalization
|support generalization
Themes
science
|thinking
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The small sample size makes any generalization from the study problematic.
- Good research design helps ensure the valid generalization of findings to the wider population.
- They cautioned against the careless generalization of these results to other age groups.
- Cultural differences can limit the generalization of psychological theories developed in one country.
- The paper discusses the generalization of this method beyond the laboratory setting.
Learner examples
- Because the study is small, generalization from the results is difficult.
- Researchers want generalization so their ideas work in real life, not just in the lab.
- The teacher explained that generalization from one example can be dangerous.
- They talked about the generalization of the rule to new situations.
- Careful generalization is important when we learn from experience.
Noun
technical
C1
entity
3
more general version of something
A new idea or rule that is made wider so that it works for more situations than the old one.
Usage pattern:
a generalization of [a theorem/idea/method] to [a wider class]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this technical sense with the everyday sense of an unfair broad statement about people. In mathematics and science, "generalization" usually has a positive, neutral meaning: it means an idea that covers more cases, not a careless or biased statement.
Synonyms
extension (Stresses that the scope of an idea has been stretched to cover more cases.)
|
abstraction (Highlights moving from concrete or specific cases to a higher-level, more general idea.)
Antonyms
specialization (Means making an idea narrower so that it applies to fewer, more specific cases.)
Collocations
natural generalization
|useful generalization
|abstract generalization
|generalization of the theorem
|generalization of this concept
|as a generalization of
Themes
science
|mathematics
|technology
|education
Examples
- This formula can be seen as a natural generalization of Pythagoras' theorem.
- The paper presents a generalization of the algorithm to handle multiple data types.
- Group theory arose in part as a generalization of symmetries of geometric objects.
- Their model is a useful generalization of earlier, more limited approaches.
- As a generalization of this result, we obtain a theorem valid in higher dimensions.
Learner examples
- This rule is a generalization of a simple idea you already know.
- The new theory is a generalization of an older model.
- We can make a generalization of this formula for bigger numbers.
- The teacher showed a generalization of the pattern to all even numbers.
- Scientists often look for a generalization that works in many cases.
Noun
technical
C1
action
4
spread of learned response to similar cases
In psychology, when you learn to act in one situation and then act the same way in other, similar situations.
Usage pattern:
generalization of [a response/behavior] from [one stimulus] to [similar stimuli]
Common mistake:
Learners may wrongly think this sense is always negative because of the everyday idea of "bad generalizations." In psychology, "generalization" is usually a neutral technical term, and can be good (skills used in real life) or bad (fear spreading too widely).
Synonyms
transfer (In education, often used for applying learned skills to new but related tasks.)
Antonyms
discrimination (In learning theory, the ability to respond differently to similar but distinct stimuli.)
Collocations
stimulus generalization
|fear generalization
|generalization of learning
|promote generalization
|prevent generalization
|response generalization
Themes
psychology
|education
|science
Examples
- Therapists try to encourage the generalization of social skills from the clinic to everyday life.
- Stimulus generalization occurred when the dog salivated to tones similar to the original bell.
- Excessive fear generalization can play a role in anxiety disorders.
- The study measured the generalization of training effects to real-world tasks.
- They designed the program to support the generalization and maintenance of new behaviors.
Learner examples
- In psychology, generalization means using a learned behavior in new but similar situations.
- The child showed generalization when he used the new word with many similar objects.
- Generalization of good study habits to other classes is important.
- The dog showed generalization by reacting to different bells in the same way.
- Teachers want generalization so students use skills outside the classroom.
Grammar
Dictionary form
generalization
IPA
GB/d͡ʒˌɛnɚəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
US/d͡ʒˌɛnɚəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
Syllables & stress
gen - er - al - iz - a - tion (6 syllables)
Stress on 4th syllable (iz)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: generalization
- Plural: generalization, generalizations
Word family
Forms
generalizations
noun
Core family
Related words
generalist
noun C1
Advanced or less common
generalizable
adjective
generality
noun
Expressions
broad generalization
1/bɹˈɔd d͡ʒˌɛnɚəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
wide but simple statement
A simple statement that covers many people or things and does not include many details or exceptions.
Examples
- It’s a broad generalization, but older voters tend to prefer this policy.
- The report makes some broad generalizations that need more data.
- As a broad generalization, the north is cooler than the south.
gross generalization
1/ɡɹˈoʊs d͡ʒˌɛnɚəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
informal
obviously wrong broad statement
A very big and very wrong statement about a group, which ignores facts and differences.
Examples
- Saying that men don’t care about their children is a gross generalization.
- I know this is a gross generalization, but city people seem more stressed.
- That comment is a gross generalization and doesn’t reflect reality.
make a generalization
1/mˈeɪk ə d͡ʒˌɛnɚəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
create a broad statement
To say a sentence about a whole group of people or things based on some examples you know.
Examples
- Try not to make a generalization about a country after one short trip.
- It’s natural to make generalizations, but we should question them.
- The journalist makes a generalization that is not supported by the data.
sweeping generalization
1/swˈipɪŋ d͡ʒˌɛnɚəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
very broad often wrong statement
A very big, simple statement about a whole group that usually ignores important differences and is often not true.
Examples
- Calling all lawyers dishonest is a sweeping generalization.
- Her speech was full of sweeping generalizations about young people.
- The reviewer criticized the book for its sweeping generalizations about culture.
hasty generalization
1/hˈeɪsti d͡ʒˌɛnɚəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
Conclusion from too little evidence
When someone says something is true for many cases after seeing only a few examples.
Examples
- Saying all teenagers are lazy because you know one who is is a hasty generalization.
- The argument was weak because it was based on a hasty generalization.
hasty generalization
2/hˈeɪsti d͡ʒˌɛnɚəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
logical fallacy from few cases
A mistake in thinking when someone uses only a small number of examples to make a big statement about many people or things.
Examples
- Concluding that all drivers are rude because of one bad experience is a hasty generalization.
- The teacher explained that this argument is weak because it’s based on a hasty generalization.
- Hasty generalizations are common in social media debates.