generality

generality — noun

1. a remark or statement that is too broad and lacks specific details, often making

1.名詞C1
釋義

a remark or statement that is too broad and lacks specific details, often making it sound vague or not very useful

例句

Full of generalities, the mayor's speech failed to impress anyone at the town hall.

plural form used with critical tone

The professor asked Femi to replace generalities with concrete examples from the data.

同義詞
反義詞

文法句型

a generality about [topic]

generalities about [topic]

用法筆記

Frequently used in the plural form (generalities), often with a critical or dismissive tone in contexts where specific details are expected.

常見錯誤

❌The teacher gave a generality.
✅The teacher made a generality.
💡'make a generality' or 'utter a generality' is more natural than 'give a generality'.
❌He spoke in generality.
✅He spoke in generalities.
💡when used to describe vague speech, the plural form is the standard one.

2. the larger number or portion within a particular category or population

2.名詞B2
釋義

the larger number or portion within a particular category or population

例句

The generality of voters backed Hyun's proposal for a new park.

the generality of + group noun

The generality of students found the new course schedule helpful.

同義詞
  • majority

    more common and neutral than 'generality'

  • bulk

    slightly informal; suggests a large physical or numerical portion

  • mass

    implies a large undifferentiated group

反義詞

文法句型

the generality of + plural noun phrase

用法筆記

Always appears with the definite article 'the' followed by 'of'. In everyday conversation, 'most' is preferred; this expression is used mainly in written or formal English.

常見錯誤

❌Generality of the voters supported the idea.
✅The generality of voters supported the idea.
💡the definite article 'the' is required at the start.

3. the character of being broad in scope and not concerned with specific details or

3.名詞C2
釋義

the character of being broad in scope and not concerned with specific details or precise information

例句

The instructions suffered from too much generality to be of any practical use.

formal uncountable noun — register marker

The report was criticised for the generality of its recommendations.

同義詞
  • broadness

    less formal; describes wide application

  • universality

    implies something applies to all cases, not just many

  • scope

    focuses on the range of coverage rather than the lack of detail

反義詞
  • specificity

    the quality of being precise and detailed

  • exactness

    the quality of being accurate to fine detail

文法句型

the generality of [noun]

用法筆記

Used almost exclusively in formal academic or analytical writing. Unlike sense 1, this sense is uncountable and describes a quality rather than a statement. Cannot be pluralised.

常見錯誤

❌The generalities of the theory is its main strength.
✅The generality of the theory is its main strength.
💡sense 3 is uncountable; do not use the plural form.