generality

English

Alternative forms

• generalty (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English generalite, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French generalité (modern French généralité), from general + -ité; also influenced by Latin generālitās. By surface analysis, general +‎ -ity.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌd͡ʒɛn.əˈɹæl.ɪ.ti/
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˌd͡ʒɛn.əˈɹæl.ə.ti/, [ˌd͡ʒɛn.əˈɹæl.ə.ɾi]
• (Australia) IPA^(key): /ˌd͡ʒen.əˈɹæl.ə.ti/, [ˌd͡ʒen.əˈɹæl.ə.ɾi]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ælɪti

Noun

generality (countable and uncountable, plural generalities)

1. (uncountable) The quality of being general.
2. (uncountable) The population in general.
   • 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Asking for an Invitation”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 25:

     "You must not come to me," answered her listener, "for a defence of society; I have long since loathed its bitterness as much as I despise its baseness. You cannot know the miserably mean motives that actuate the generality; but the trifles so sought give their own narrowness to the mind."

3. (countable) A generalization.

   He was very vague, speaking only in generalities.

Synonyms

• (quality of being general): oftenness; see also Thesaurus:commonness

Derived terms

• glittering generality
• glowing generality
• overgenerality
• without loss of generality

Translations

quality — see also generalness

• Bulgarian: генералност f (generalnost), общоприложимост f (obštopriložimost)
• Finnish: ylimalkaisuus (fi), epämääräisyys (fi)
• Galician: xeneralidade (gl) f
• Georgian: ზოგადობა (zogadoba), გაურკვევლობა (gaurḳvevloba), განუსაზღვრელობა (ganusazɣvreloba)
• Spanish: generalidad (es) f

generalization

• Bulgarian: обобщение (bg) f (obobštenie)
• Finnish: yleistys (fi)
• Georgian: განზოგადება (ganzogadeba)
• Russian: обобще́ние (ru) n (obobščénije)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} generalità (it) f

Further reading

• “generality”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.