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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

paint with a broad brush en · VERB

Pronunciation

Meanings

  1. (ambitransitive, idiomatic) To describe a class of objects or a kind of phenomenon in general terms, without specific details and without attention to individual variations.
    • I'm just painting with a broad brush. You fellows fill in the details. 1958, H. Boyle, J. House, “Folklore in the News: Businessmen's Bebop”, in Western Folklore, volume 17, number 1, page 63:
    • Painting slavery with a broad brush in literature, film and even political debate has kept us from knowing the real horror and heroism of the institution. 1998 October 5, Ron Stodghill, “Daring To Go There”, in Time:
    • To cover this range of issues is clearly to paint with a broad brush on a global canvas. 1981, D. N., “Review of Global Signposts to the 21st Century by John A. Loraine”, in Population and Development Review, volume 7, number 2, page 363:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
paints with a broad brush Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
painted with a broad brush Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
painted with a broad brush Tense=Past lexicographic
painting with a broad brush Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Relateds

broad-brush