general
/ˈd͡ʒɛn.(ə.)ɹəl/ adjective, noun, verb, adverb
Forms generals generaling generalling generaled generalled gen. gen genl gen'l generall
- adjective Including or involving every part or member of a given or implied entity, whole, etc.; common to all, universal.
- adjective (sometimes postpositive) Applied to a person (as a postmodifier or a normal preceding adjective) to indicate supreme rank, in civil or military titles, and later in other terms; pre-eminent.
- adjective Prevalent or widespread among a given class or area; common, usual.
- adjective Not limited in use or application; applicable across a broad range.
- adjective Giving or consisting of only the most important aspects of something, ignoring minor details; indefinite.
- adjective Not of a specific class; miscellaneous. “general goods”
- noun (military) The holder of a senior military title, originally designating the commander of an army and now a specific rank falling under field marshal (in the British army) and below general of the army or general of the air force in the US army and air forces. “General Eisenhower was the first SACEUR.”
- noun A great strategist or tactician. “Hannibal was one of the greatest generals of the ancient world.”
- noun (now rare) A general fact or proposition; a generality. “We have dealt with the generals; now let us turn to the particulars.”
- noun (Christianity) The head of certain religious orders, especially Dominicans or Jesuits.
- noun (xiangqi) The equivalent of a king in Chinese chess, the xiangqi piece that is confined to the palace, moves orthogonally one point at a time, and whose loss decides the game.
- noun (nautical, obsolete) Synonym of admiral, a senior naval title, a great naval strategist or tactician.
- verb To lead (soldiers) as a general.
- adverb (obsolete) In a general or collective manner or sense; in most cases; upon the whole.
- noun The title used by a military general, flag rank officer of the military
Synonyms
common universal catholic ecumenical generic nonsingular nonspecific unparticular unsingular unspecific typical usual average basic bog-standard common as bums common as dirt common as muck common as pig tracks dime a dozen full general superior general cosmopolitan oecumenical worldwide world-wide
Antonyms
specific special particular concrete discrete individual peculiar proper singular abnormal uncommon local
Etymology
From Middle English general, in turn from Anglo-Norman general, generall, Middle French general, and their source, Latin generālis, from genus (“class, kind”) + -ālis (“-al”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Relating to a genus or kind; pertaining to a whole class or order; as, a general law of animal or vegetable economy.
- adjective Comprehending many species or individuals; not special or particular; including all particulars; as, a general inference or conclusion.
Etymology [F. général, fr. L. generalis. See Genus.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “general”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details