generality

/ˈdʒɛnəˌrælədi/

Other forms: generalities

If your mom says, "What have you been up to?" and you reply, "Ah, stuff," you have used a generality. It's the opposite of being specific, of saying, "Well, I shop lifted and picked my nose."

Politicians speak in generalities––they want to cut the deficit and keep taxes low, but they don't want to tell you exactly how they will do that. Generalities can also refer to conclusions we draw about the world: If you say people at baseball games like to eat hot dogs, you've used a generality. Maybe people at baseball games eat hot dogs because there's nothing else to buy.

Definitions of generality

1. noun

   the quality of being general or widespread or having general applicability
   antonyms:

   particularity

   the quality of being particular and pertaining to a specific case or instance

   types:

   commonality, commonness

   sharing of common attributes

   pervasiveness

   the quality of filling or spreading throughout

   prevalence

   the quality of prevailing generally; being widespread

   catholicity, universality

   the quality of being universal; existing everywhere

   totality

   the quality of being complete and indiscriminate

   solidarity

   a union of interests or purposes or sympathies among members of a group

   currency

   general acceptance or use

   type of:

   quality

   an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
2. noun

   an idea or conclusion having general application
   “he spoke in broad generalities”

   synonyms: generalisation, generalization

   types:

   principle, rule, tenet

   a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct

   pillar

   a fundamental principle or practice

   yang

   the bright positive masculine principle in Chinese dualistic cosmology

   yin

   the dark, negative feminine principle in Chinese dualistic cosmology

   feng shui

   the practice of arranging spaces for harmony and balance, originating in Chinese philosophy

   type of:

   idea, thought

   the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about