generalise
gb/d͡ʒˈɛnɚəlɪs/ us/d͡ʒˈɛnɚəlɪs/
B2
Inglés
Acepciones
0 acepciones
Verbo
B2
action
1
make broad statements about a group
To talk about something in a very general way, not including details.
Patrón de uso:
generalise (about [someone/something])
Error frecuente:
Don’t confuse British spelling generalise with American spelling generalize; they mean the same.
Sinónimos
oversimplify (Emphasises losing important detail.)
|
stereotype (Often implies an unfair generalisation about a group.)
Antónimos
specify (Gives exact details instead of broad statements.)
Colocaciones
generalise about people
|generalise about women
|generalise about teenagers
|generalise too much
|tend to generalise
|it is wrong to generalise
|avoid generalising
|over-generalise
|a generalised view
|generalise from one case
Temas
communication
|society
|thinking_skills
Ejemplos
- It’s unfair to generalise about an entire culture based on one experience.
- She tends to generalise and forget that there are many exceptions.
- Don’t generalise from a single comment to what everyone thinks.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- You can’t generalise about all students.
- He generalised and missed the details.
Verbo
formal
C1
process
2
draw a rule from examples
To make a general rule based on examples or data.
Patrón de uso:
generalise from [evidence/examples]
Error frecuente:
Generalise from means you start with specific examples; it does not mean ‘explain in detail’.
Sinónimos
infer (More general; does not always imply moving from specific cases to a broad rule.)
|
extrapolate (Often suggests extending beyond known data, sometimes with extra uncertainty.)
Antónimos
particularise (Focuses on specific cases rather than a general rule.)
Colocaciones
generalise from data
|generalise from evidence
|generalise from experience
|generalise from a sample
|generalise from a few cases
|attempt to generalise
|it is difficult to generalise
|generalise a pattern
|generalise a principle
|generalise findings
Temas
education
|research
|thinking_skills
Ejemplos
- From these three experiments, we can generalise that the material expands when heated.
- It’s risky to generalise from such a small sample size.
- Children quickly learn to generalise rules from just a few examples.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- We cannot generalise from one test.
- They generalised a rule from the results.
Verbo
formal
C1
action
3
apply results to other cases
To say something is also true for other situations or people.
Patrón de uso:
generalise [a finding/idea] to [other situations/groups]
Error frecuente:
Generalise to focuses on where you apply the idea; generalise from focuses on the starting evidence.
Sinónimos
extend (Commoner and less academic; emphasises broadening scope.)
|
apply (Focuses on practical use in another context.)
Antónimos
restrict (Limits validity or use to a narrow context.)
Colocaciones
generalise to the wider population
|generalise to other settings
|generalise to other countries
|generalise the results
|generalise the findings
|generalise an approach
|generalise a method
|cannot be generalised
|easily generalised
|broadly generalisable
Temas
research
|work
|education
Ejemplos
- The study was done in one city, so the results may not generalise to rural areas.
- We need more data before we can generalise these findings to other age groups.
- A good model should generalise well to new examples.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- These results do not generalise to everyone.
- Can we generalise this rule to other cases?
Verbo
formal
C1
action
4
make something less detailed
To remove details so something becomes more general.
Patrón de uso:
generalise [a description/model/design]
Error frecuente:
Generalise here means ‘make more general’, not ‘make popular’.
Sinónimos
abstract (Often suggests focusing on the essential features and leaving out detail.)
|
simplify (Emphasises making something easier to understand, not necessarily broader.)
Antónimos
detail (Adds specific information rather than removing it.)
Colocaciones
generalise a description
|generalise a model
|generalise a design
|generalise features
|generalise a diagram
|generalise the shape
|generalise details
|highly generalised
|a generalised form
|generalise the concept
Temas
communication
|design
|data
Ejemplos
- The map generalises minor roads to keep the image clear at this scale.
- To teach the concept, the instructor first generalised the problem and ignored special cases.
- The artist generalised the facial features to create a stronger overall impression.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- We generalised the diagram to make it simple.
- The report generalised the details into one idea.
Verbo
technical
C2
process
5
spread to whole body or area
In medical use, to spread widely in the body.
Patrón de uso:
[a condition/infection/seizure] generalises
Sinónimos
spread (More general and non-technical.)
|
disseminate (More formal/technical; often used for disease or information.)
Antónimos
localise (Stay limited to one area rather than spreading.)
Colocaciones
generalise rapidly
|generalise to the whole body
|generalise beyond the original site
|generalised infection
|generalised inflammation
|generalised seizures
Temas
health
|medicine
Ejemplos
- The rash began on his arms and then generalised to his torso.
- If the infection generalises, it can become life-threatening.
- Doctors monitored her closely to make sure the inflammation did not generalise.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
generalise
AFI
GB/d͡ʒˈɛnɚəlɪs/
US/d͡ʒˈɛnɚəlɪs/
Sílabas y acento
gen - er - al - ise (4 sílabas)
Stress on 1st syllable (gen)
Formas de la palabra
Verb
- Base: generalise
- 3rd Person Singular: generalises
- Present Participle: generalising
- Past: generalised
Familia de palabras
Forms
generalises
verb
generalising
verb
generalised
verb
Core family
Related words
generalize
verb C1
generalist
noun C1
Negative and opposite forms
specific
adjective B1
Advanced or less common
generalisable
adjective
generality
noun
Expresiones
to generalise
1/tə d͡ʒˈɛnɚəlɪs/
fixed phrase
speaking in a broad way
Used to mean “speaking generally”.
Ejemplos
- To generalise, people prefer products that save them time.
- To generalise, the earlier we start, the better the results tend to be.
- To generalise, this approach works best with simple systems.
without wishing to generalise
1/wɪðˈaʊt wˈɪʃɪŋ tə d͡ʒˈɛnɚəlɪs/
fixed phrase
formal
hedge before a broad claim
Used to show you know a general statement may not be true for everyone.
Ejemplos
- Without wishing to generalise, customers tend to be more patient in smaller shops.
- Without wishing to generalise, people often feel more stressed at this time of year.
- Without wishing to generalise, older houses usually need more maintenance.