Dictionary

generally en · ADV

Pronunciation

• /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ɚ.li/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ˈd͡ʒen.ɹə.li/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
• /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ə.ɹə.li/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ɹə.li/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ɚ.ə.li/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ɹə.li/ (Canada, General-American)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English generally, generalliche, equivalent to general + -ly.

Meanings

1. (broadly, comparative) Popularly or widely.
   • It is generally known that the Earth is round.
   • After defending our argument against several objections, we conclude by considering the implications our argument has for the rest of the instrumental convergence thesis and for AI safety more generally. 2025 June 13, Rhys Southan, Helena Ward, Jen Semler, “A timing problem for instrumental convergence”, in Philosophical Studies, Springer Science+Business Media, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC:
   • The action he inaugurated culminated in the law for the suppression of trampage, that has accomplished such good in the Granite State, and that has been so generally copied in other states. 1882, Henry Harrison Metcalf, John Norris McClintock, The Granite Monthly: A New Hampshire Magazine, page 382:
2. (broadly, comparative) As a rule; usually; typically; in most cases.
   • Ivor had acquired more than a mile of fishing rights with the house ; he was not at all a good fisherman, but one must do something ; one generally, however, banged a ball with a squash-racket against a wall. 1922, Michael Arlen, “3/19/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days:
   • He used to drop into my chambers once in a while to smoke, and was first-rate company. When I gave a dinner there was generally a cover laid for him. I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me. 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 2:
   • I generally have a walk in the afternoon.
   • Musk’s Israel tour was transparently transactional and frankly insulting. The antisemitic sentiment Musk endorsed had nothing to do with Israel; “replacement theory” is generally an unsupported allegation that Jews and other immigrants in the US and Europe are destroying Western civilization. 2023 November 28, Jill Filipovic, “Opinion: Elon Musk’s Israel tour was transparently transactional and insulting”, in CNN:
   • During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant[…] 1661, John Fell, The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond:
3. (broadly, comparative) Without reference to specific details.
   • Generally speaking …
   • “There ain’t no drain of nothing short handy, is there?” said the Chicken, generally. “This here sluicing night is hard lines to a man as lives on his condition.” Captain Cuttle proffered a glass of rum […] 1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:
   • Autopsy results revealed that Braydon was generally malnourished and thin. His cause of death was hyperthermia due to the extreme heat, which would have “caused extreme discomfort and difficulty breathing as he died.” 2015 December 23, Tiffany Ap and Artemis Moshtaghian, “Neglected boy shut in room with heater on dies of hyperthermia”, in CNN:
4. (broadly, comparative) In the general case, without exception; in all cases.
   • It is generally true that the angles of a triangle sum to 180 degrees.
5. (broadly, comparative, obsolete) Collectively; as a whole; without omissions.
   • I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Samuel 17:11:

Forms

Antonyms

specifically

Deriveds

generally speaking

Hyponyms

usually · normally · mostly

Relateds

completely

Synonyms

regularly · mostly · generically (without reference to specific details) · altogether · normally · collaboratively · ordinarily · by and large · commonly · en masse · wontedly · always (without exception) · usually · broadly · catholicly · universally · at large · as a whole · all things considered · generally · overall · in general · basically · commonly (popularly or widely)

Translations (151)

nb allment (popularly or widely) · ga de ghnáth (without reference to specific details) · he בְּדֶּרֶךְ כְּלָל (as a rule; usually) · oc generalament (popularly or widely) · yi בכלל (as a rule; usually) · de im Allgemeinen (popularly or widely) · ka როგორც წესი (as a rule; usually) · de üblicherweise (as a rule; usually) · ba ғөмүмән (without reference to specific details) · it in generale (without reference to specific details) · enm generally (without reference to specific details) · fi yleensä (as a rule; usually) · fi yleensä (popularly or widely) · ka ზოგადად (without reference to specific details) · uk як пра́вило (as a rule; usually) · az ümumiyyətcə (popularly or widely) · nb hovedsakelig (as a rule; usually) · az ümumiyyətlə (as a rule; usually) · tr genellikle (popularly or widely) · hy ընդհանրապես (as a rule; usually) · nl in het algemeen (as a rule; usually) · pl zwykle (as a rule; usually) · fr généralement (as a rule; usually) · az ümumiliklə (without reference to specific details) · it in genere (popularly or widely) · el συνήθως (as a rule; usually) · pt geralmente (as a rule; usually) · pl powszechnie (popularly or widely) · ru широко́ (popularly or widely) · uk зазвича́й (as a rule; usually) · el γενικά (without reference to specific details) · fr généralement (without reference to specific details) · bg общо взето (without reference to specific details) · pl zazwyczaj (as a rule; usually) · ba дөйөм (without reference to specific details) · mi ko te tikanga (as a rule; usually) · id biasanya (as a rule; usually) · sh opće (popularly or widely) · ka ზოგადად (popularly or widely) · es generalmente (popularly or widely) · az ümumilikdə (without reference to specific details) · az ümumiyyətcə (without reference to specific details) · pt de modo geral (without reference to specific details) · fr en général (popularly or widely) · hu általában (as a rule; usually) · br peurvuiañ (as a rule; usually) · cmn 通常 (as a rule; usually) · az ümumilikdə (popularly or widely) · nb vanligvis (as a rule; usually) · pa عموماً (popularly or widely) · hy ընդհանրապես (without reference to specific details) · ka მეტწილად (without reference to specific details) · de generell (without reference to specific details) · ja 一般に (as a rule; usually) · ru вообще́ (popularly or widely) · ja 一般に (popularly or widely) · az ümumən (as a rule; usually) · ja 汎く (popularly or widely) · he בד״כ (as a rule; usually) · pt geralmente (popularly or widely) · ka საერთოდ (as a rule; usually) · it generalmente (popularly or widely) · ja 一般に (without reference to specific details) · nb allment (without reference to specific details) · pa ਅਮੂਮਨ (popularly or widely) · ru обы́чно (as a rule; usually) · ja 通常 (without reference to specific details) · az bir qayda olaraq (as a rule; usually) · fr généralement (popularly or widely) · ja 通常 (as a rule; usually) · de allgemein (popularly or widely) · eo ĝenerale (as a rule; usually) · ca generalment (as a rule; usually) · ja 広く (popularly or widely) · hu általánosságban (without reference to specific details) · az ümumiliklə (as a rule; usually) · de gewöhnlich (popularly or widely) · de überhaupt (as a rule; usually) · ru как пра́вило (as a rule; usually) · ar عُمُومًا (popularly or widely) · es generalmente (as a rule; usually) · de allgemein (without reference to specific details) · ang ġewunelīċe (popularly or widely) · hy ընդհանրապես (popularly or widely) · fi tavallisesti (as a rule; usually) · la plērumque (popularly or widely) · af oor die algemeen (as a rule; usually) · it in genere (as a rule; usually) · ka ფართოდ (popularly or widely) · fi yleisesti (without reference to specific details) · bg обикновено (as a rule; usually) · pt em geral (without reference to specific details) · vo in valem (as a rule; usually) · enm generally (popularly or widely) · br peurliesañ (as a rule; usually) · az ümumiyyətcə (as a rule; usually) · ka ჩვეულებრივ (as a rule; usually) · it di solito (as a rule; usually) · gd san fharsaingeachd (popularly or widely) · wa å pus sovint (as a rule; usually) · de hauptsächlich (as a rule; usually) · sh općenito (without reference to specific details) · it a grandi linee (without reference to specific details) · gl xeralmente (popularly or widely) · pt em geral (as a rule; usually) · az ümumiyyətlə (popularly or widely) · gl xeralmente (as a rule; usually) · ang ġewunelīċe (as a rule; usually) · la ferē (as a rule; usually) · ja たいてい (as a rule; usually) · az ümumiyyətlə (without reference to specific details) · es por lo general (as a rule; usually) · pl z reguły (as a rule; usually) · enm generally (as a rule; usually) · tr çoğunlukla (as a rule; usually) · id secara umum (popularly or widely) · fi tavallisesti (popularly or widely) · uk в ціло́му (without reference to specific details) · id umumnya (without reference to specific details) · la fermē (as a rule; usually) · hy սովորաբար (as a rule; usually) · bg всеобщо (popularly or widely) · ca generalment (popularly or widely) · enm comunly (popularly or widely) · uk взагалі́ (without reference to specific details) · ja 通常 (popularly or widely) · sv i största allmänhet (as a rule; usually) · pt em geral (popularly or widely) · ru по большо́му счёту (without reference to specific details) · hi सामान्यतः (as a rule; usually) · az ümumilikdə (as a rule; usually) · yi בכלל (popularly or widely) · az ümumiliklə (popularly or widely) · pl ogólnie (without reference to specific details) · es generalmente (without reference to specific details) · uz umuman (popularly or widely) · mt ġeneralment (popularly or widely) · es por lo general (popularly or widely) · ar بِوَجْهٍ عَامّ (without reference to specific details) · hi सामान्यतः (popularly or widely) · ba ғөмүмән (popularly or widely) · nb generelt (without reference to specific details) · nb generelt (popularly or widely) · cmn 一般 (as a rule; usually) · ba ғәҙәттә (as a rule; usually) · gd san fharsaingeachd (as a rule; usually) · sh obično (as a rule; usually) · nb som oftest (as a rule; usually) · ja 大まかに (without reference to specific details) · gd san fharsaingeachd (without reference to specific details) · ru вообще́ (without reference to specific details)