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Generality: meaning, definitions and examples

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generality

 

[ˌdʒɛnəˈrælɪti ]

Definitions

Context #1 | Noun

in philosophy

The quality of being general; a general statement or concept.

Synonyms

abstraction, concept, generalization.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

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Word Description / Examples
generality

Used when referring to a statement or principle that applies broadly but may lack detail or precision.

  • The professor spoke in generalities, avoiding specifics about the experiment.
abstraction

Suitable when discussing ideas that are theoretical and not concrete, often in art, science, or philosophy.

  • In mathematics, abstraction allows us to work with different sets of numbers.
concept

Used when referring to an idea or principle that is well-defined and is meant to understand or explain something.

  • The concept of gravity explains why objects fall to the ground.
generalization

Commonly used when making broad statements that apply to many cases, usually based on specific instances, but can sometimes be considered an oversimplification.

  • Saying all dogs are friendly is a generalization that may not always be true.

Examples of usage

  • He preferred to speak in generalities rather than specifics.
  • The discussion lacked depth, focusing only on generalities.
Context #2 | Noun

in everyday language

A vague or imprecise statement.

Examples of usage

  • His speech was full of generalities and lacked concrete details.
  • Stop talking in generalities and give me specific examples.
Context #3 | Noun

in statistics

A measure of the extent to which data points in a statistical distribution diverge from the mean.

Examples of usage

  • The generality of the data points indicated a high level of variance.
  • The researcher analyzed the generality of the sample to draw conclusions.

Interesting Facts

Etymology

  • The word comes from the Latin 'generalis', meaning 'of or pertaining to a whole group'.
  • In the 14th century, it evolved in Middle English to describe concepts that are not specific or particular.

Cognitive Science

  • Generality is crucial for human thinking, as it allows us to categorize and make sense of the world.
  • People often use generalities to simplify complex ideas, which helps in communication but can sometimes lead to misunderstandings.

Philosophy

  • Philosophers discuss generality in terms of universals—traits or features that apply across multiple instances.
  • A famous philosophical debate focuses on whether generalities exist independently of the specific things they describe.

Sociology

  • Sociologists study generality when examining social behaviors, often creating general statements from specific observations.
  • Generalities can shape public opinion, as the media often relies on them to convey messages about large groups of people.

Literature

  • Writers use generalities to introduce themes that resonate widely, allowing readers to connect with characters and situations.
  • In poetry, generality helps in expressing universal feelings, making the work relatable to a broad audience.

Translations

Translations of the word "generality" in other languages:

🇵🇹 generalidade

🇮🇳 सामान्यता

🇩🇪 Allgemeinheit

🇮🇩 generalisasi

🇺🇦 загальність

🇵🇱 ogólność

🇯🇵 一般性 (ippansei)

🇫🇷 généralité

🇪🇸 generalidad

🇹🇷 genellik

🇰🇷 일반성 (ilbanseong)

🇸🇦 عمومية

🇨🇿 všeobecnost

🇸🇰 všeobecnosť

🇨🇳 普遍性 (pǔbiànxìng)

🇸🇮 splošnost

🇮🇸 almennar upplýsingar

🇰🇿 жалпылық

🇬🇪 საერთოობა (saert'ooba)

🇦🇿 ümumilik

🇲🇽 generalidad

Word Frequency Rank

Ranked #11,688, this word falls into high-advanced vocabulary. It appears less frequently but is valuable for expressing precise meanings in specific contexts.