general

[gen·er·al]

If I ask you to give me a general sense of how a car works, I'm looking for you to describe the two or three main principals in a few minutes, not to open the hood, take apart your engine, and tell me everything you know.

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Relating to a genus or kind; pertaining to a whole class or order; as, a general law of animal or vegetable economy.

Noun
a fact about the whole (as opposed to particular); "he discussed the general but neglected the particular"

Noun
a general officer of the highest rank

Noun
the head of a religious order or congregation

Verb
command as a general; "We are generaled by an incompetent!"

Adjective S.
prevailing among and common to the general public; "the general discontent"

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Adjective S.
of worldwide scope or applicability; "an issue of cosmopolitan import"; "the shrewdest political and ecumenical comment of our time"- Christopher Morley; "universal experience"

Adjective S.
not specialized or limited to one class of things; "general studies"; "general knowledge"

Adjective
applying to all or most members of a category or group; "the general public"; "general assistance"; "a general rule"; "in general terms"; "comprehensible to the general reader"

Adjective S.
of national scope; "a general election"

Adjective
affecting the entire body; "a general anesthetic"; "general symptoms"

Adjective S.
somewhat indefinite; "bearing a general resemblance to the original"; "a general description of the merchandise"

a.
Relating to a genus or kind; pertaining to a whole class or order; as, a general law of animal or vegetable economy.

a.
Comprehending many species or individuals; not special or particular; including all particulars; as, a general inference or conclusion.

a.
Not restrained or limited to a precise import; not specific; vague; indefinite; lax in signification; as, a loose and general expression.

a.
Common to many, or the greatest number; widely spread; prevalent; extensive, though not universal; as, a general opinion; a general custom.

a.
Having a relation to all; common to the whole; as, Adam, our general sire.

a.
As a whole; in gross; for the most part.

a.
Usual; common, on most occasions; as, his general habit or method.

a.
The whole; the total; that which comprehends or relates to all, or the chief part; -- opposed to particular.

a.
One of the chief military officers of a government or country; the commander of an army, of a body of men not less than a brigade. In European armies, the highest military rank next below field marshal.

a.
The roll of the drum which calls the troops together; as, to beat the general.

a.
The chief of an order of monks, or of all the houses or congregations under the same rule.

a.
The public; the people; the vulgar.

General

Gen"er*al , a. [F. g'82n'82ral, fr. L. generalis. See Genus.] 1. Relating to a genus or kind; pertaining to a whole class or order; as, a general law of animal or vegetable economy. 2. Comprehending many species or individuals; not special or particular; including all particulars; as, a general inference or conclusion. 3. Not restrained or limited to a precise import; not specific; vague; indefinite; lax in signification; as, a loose and general expression. 4. Common to many, or the greatest number; widely spread; prevalent; extensive, though not universal; as, a general opinion; a general custom.

This general applause and cheerful sout Argue your wisdom and your love to Richard.

5. Having a relation to all; common to the whole; as, Adam, our general sire. Milton. 6. As a whole; in gross; for the most part.

His general behavior vain, ridiculous.

7. Usual; common, on most occasions; as, his general habit or method. &hand; The word general, annexed to a name of office, usually denotes chief or superior; as, attorney-general; adjutant general; commissary general; quartermaster general; vicar-general, etc. General agent (Law), an agent whom a principal employs to transact all his business of a particular kind, or to act in his affairs generally. -- General assembly. See the Note under Assembly. -- General average, General Court. See under Average, Court. -- General court-martial (Mil.), the highest military and naval judicial tribunal. -- General dealer (Com.), a shopkeeper who deals in all articles in common use. -- General demurrer (Law), a demurrer which objects to a pleading in general terms, as insufficient, without specifying the defects. Abbott. -- General epistle, a canonical epistle. -- General guides (Mil.), two sergeants (called the right, and the left, general guide) posted opposite the right and left flanks of an infantry battalion, to preserve accuracy in marching. Farrow. -- General hospitals (Mil.), hospitals established to receive sick and wounded sent from the field hospitals. Farrow. General issue (Law), an issue made by a general plea, which traverses the whole declaration or indictment at once, without offering any special matter to evade it. Bouvier. Burrill. -- General lien (Law), a right to detain a chattel, etc., until payment is made of any balance due on a general account. -- General officer (Mil.), any officer having a rank above that of colonel. -- General orders (Mil.), orders from headquarters published to the whole command. -- General practitioner, in the United States, one who practices medicine in all its branches without confining himself to any specialty; in England, one who practices both as physician and as surgeon. -- General ship, a ship not chartered or let to particular parties. -- General term (Logic), a term which is the sign of a general conception or notion. -- General verdict (Law), the ordinary comprehensive verdict in civil actions, "for the plaintiff" or "for the defendant". Burrill. -- General warrant (Law), a warrant, now illegal, to apprehend suspected persons, without naming individuals. Syn. General, Common, Universal. Common denotes primarily that in which many share; and hence, that which is often met with. General is stronger, denoting that which pertains to a majority of the individuals which compose a genus, or whole. Universal, that which pertains to all without exception. To be able to read and write is so common an attainment in the United States, that we may pronounce it general, though by no means universal. Gen"er*al , n. [F. g'82n'82ral. See General., a.] 1. The whole; the total; that which comprehends or relates to all, or the chief part; -- opposed to particular.

In particulars our knowledge begins, and so spreads itself by degrees to generals.

2. (Mil.) One of the chief military officers of a government or country; the commander of an army, of a body of men not less than a brigade. In European armies, the highest military rank next below field marshal. &hand; In the United States the office of General of the Army has been created by temporary laws, and has been held only by Generals U. S. Grant, W. T. Sherman, and P. H. Sheridan. Popularly, the title General is given to various general officers, as General, Lieutenant general, Major general, Brigadier general, Commissary general, etc. See Brigadier general, Lieutenant general, Major general, in the Vocabulary. 3. (Mil.) The roll of the drum which calls the troops together; as, to beat the general. 4. (Eccl.) The chief of an order of monks, or of all the houses or congregations under the same rule. 5. The public; the people; the vulgar. [Obs.] Shak. In general, in the main; for the most part.

Relating to a genus or kind; pertaining to a whole class or order; as, a general law of animal or vegetable economy.

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Usage Examples

And we know there has been horrendous loss of life and suffering and we know that there is anger. Anyone who came anywhere near the general election in constituencies with a substantial Muslim population knows that.

Architecture in general is frozen music.

An aristocratic culture does not advertise its emotions. In its forms of expression it is sober and reserved. Its general attitude is stoic.

A series of rumors about my attitude, as well as derogatory remarks about myself and my family showed me that the personal resentment of the Detroit general manager toward me would make it impossible for me to continue playing hockey in Detroit.

As a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information.

Bottom up thinkers try to start from experience and move from experience to understanding. They don't start with certain general principles they think beforehand are likely to be true they just hope to find out what reality is like.

As a general thing, when a woman wears the pants in a family, she has a good right to them.

African women in general need to know that it's OK for them to be the way they are - to see the way they are as a strength, and to be liberated from fear and from silence.

Misspelled Form

general, fgeneral, tgeneral, ygeneral, hgeneral, bgeneral, vgeneral, feneral, teneral, yeneral, heneral, beneral, veneral, gfeneral, gteneral, gyeneral, gheneral, gbeneral, gveneral, gweneral, g3eneral, g4eneral, greneral, gseneral, gdeneral, gwneral, g3neral, g4neral, grneral, gsneral, gdneral, gewneral, ge3neral, ge4neral, gerneral, gesneral, gedneral, gebneral, gehneral, gejneral, gemneral, ge neral, geberal, geheral, gejeral, gemeral, ge eral, genberal, genheral, genjeral, genmeral, gen eral, genweral, gen3eral, gen4eral, genreral, genseral, genderal, genwral, gen3ral, gen4ral, genrral, gensral, gendral, genewral, gene3ral, gene4ral, generral, genesral, genedral, geneeral, gene4ral, gene5ral, genetral, genefral, geneeal, gene4al, gene5al, genetal, genefal, genereal, gener4al, gener5al, genertal, generfal, generqal, generwal, genersal, generzal, generql, generwl, genersl, generzl, generaql, generawl, generasl, generazl, generakl, generaol, generapl, genera:l, generak, generao, generap, genera:, generalk, generalo, generalp, general:.

Other Usage Examples

Basically, there are two things we know: Everybody has less time, and the general public is demanding better food - better in terms of quality and better in terms of flavor.

A man is in general better pleased when he has a good dinner upon his table, than when his wife talks Greek.

A woman who is willing to be herself and pursue her own potential runs not so much the risk of loneliness, as the challenge of exposure to more interesting men - and people in general.

As to the deceit perpetrated upon women, let it pass, for, when love is in the way, men and women as a general rule dupe each other.

All morning they watched for the plane which they thought would be looking for them. They cursed war in general and PTs in particular. At about ten o'clock the hulk heaved a moist sigh and turned turtle.

A very intimate sense of the expressiveness of outward things, which ponders, listens, penetrates, where the earlier, less developed consciousness passed lightly by, is an important element in the general temper of our modern poetry.

Along with that ongoing process Sinn Fein took a decision to establish a peace commission which had the responsibility to travel around the country to receive submissions from the general public, also our opponents.

As a general rule, I don't plan to travel with my Oscars, but we may have to make an exception.

As for charity, it is a matter in which the immediate effect on the persons directly concerned, and the ultimate consequence to the general good, are apt to be at complete war with one another.