Generalize (Verb)
Meaning 1
Become systemic and spread throughout the body; "this kind of infection generalizes throughout the immune system".
Classification
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care.
Examples
- Cancer can generalize quickly if not treated promptly, spreading to other parts of the body and affecting multiple organ systems.
- Once the infection generalizes, it can cause serious health problems, such as organ failure or even death.
- This antibacterial resistance pattern generalizes to several related strains of bacteria, making treatment even more challenging.
- A viral infection can generalize if the immune system is severely compromised, making it harder for the body to recover.
- When left untreated, certain autoimmune disorders may generalize and cause widespread inflammation throughout the body.
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Meaning 2
Cater to popular taste to make popular and present to the general public; bring into general or common use; "They popularized coffee in Washington State"; "Relativity Theory was vulgarized by these authors".
Classification
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing.
Examples
- The tech giant's new marketing strategy aims to generalize the use of augmented reality, making it more accessible to the masses.
- By creating easy-to-understand tutorials, the science channel managed to generalize complex concepts to a broader audience.
- The health food chain has successfully generalized the concept of plant-based diets, turning it into a mainstream lifestyle choice.
- Environmental activists are working to generalize eco-friendly practices, encouraging everyday people to adopt sustainable habits.
- The educational app has been praised for its ability to generalize math lessons, making them fun and easy to learn for kids worldwide.
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Meaning 3
Speak or write in generalities.
Classification
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing.
Examples
- Relying on assumptions can lead people to generalize about someone without getting to know them as an individual.
- The professor warned her students against trying to generalize about an entire culture based on a single experience.
- Journalists often generalize about trends and statistics without digging deeper into the underlying data.
- When discussing politics, some pundits tend to generalize about complex issues rather than examining the fine details.
- Generalizing about people's personalities based on their zodiac signs can be misleading and oversimplistic.
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Meaning 4
Draw from specific cases for more general cases.
Classification
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing.
Examples
- Researchers often take data from several studies to generalize the findings to a larger population.
- Scientists can generalize the patterns seen in local climates to understand global climate changes.
- From analyzing a few successful businesses, entrepreneurs are able to generalize the best strategies for their own ventures.
- Experts in a particular field can generalize their research to help solve problems in related areas.
- Studies on small groups of people can be used to generalize trends and behaviors in the broader population.