general

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Synonyms: teneral, genderal, genera, gen'ral, geneal

Antonyms: teneral, genderal, genera, gen'ral, geneal

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Adjective

1. Including or involving every part or member of a given or implied entity, whole, etc.; [[common]] to all, [[universal]]. {{defdate|from 13th c.}}
2. {{lb|en|sometimes|_|postpositive}} {{ng|Applied to a person (as a postmodifier or a normal preceding adjective) to indicate [[supreme]] [[rank]], in civil or military titles, and later in other terms}}; [[pre-eminent]]. {{defdate|from 14th c.}}
3. [[prevalent|Prevalent]] or [[widespread]] among a given class or area; [[common]], [[usual]]. {{defdate|from 14th c.}}
4. Not limited in use or application; applicable across a broad range. {{defdate|from 14th c.}}
5. Giving or consisting of only the most important aspects of something, ignoring minor details; [[indefinite]]. {{defdate|from 16th c.}}
6. Not of a specific [[class]]; [[miscellaneous]]. {{defdate|from 16th c.}}

Noun

1. {{senseid|en|military rank}} {{lb|en|military ranks}} The holder of a senior military title, originally designating the commander of an army and now a specific rank falling under [[field marshal]] (in the British army) and below [[general of the army]] or [[general of the air force]] in the US army and air forces. {{defdate|from 16th c.}}
2. {{senseid|en|strategist}} A great [[strategist]] or [[tactician]]. {{defdate|from 16th c.}}
3. {{lb|en|now|rare}} A general fact or proposition; a [[generality]]. {{defdate|from 16th c.}}
4. {{lb|en|Christianity}} The head of certain [[religious order]]s, especially [[Dominican]]s or [[Jesuit]]s. {{defdate|from 16th c.}}
5. {{lb|en|xiangqi}} The [[equivalent]] of a [[king]] in [[Chinese chess]], the [[xiangqi]] [[piece]] that is [[confine]]d to the [[palace]], [[move]]s [[orthogonally]] one [[point]] at a [[time]], and whose [[loss]] [[decide]]s the [[game]].
6. {{lb|en|nautical|obsolete}} {{synonym of|en|admiral}}{{ngd|, a [[senior]] [[naval]] [[title]], a [[great]] [[naval]] [[strategist]] or [[tactician]].}} {{defdate|16th|18th c.}}
7. {{lb|en|colloquial|now|historical}} {{short for|en|[[general]] [[servant]]}}{{ngd|, a [[maid-of-all-work]], a [[servant]] [[able]] to be [[assign]]ed to any [[task]] in a [[household]].}} {{defdate|from 19th c.}}
8. {{lb|en|countable}} {{short for|en|general election}}{{ngd|, a [[regular]] [[election]] for [[most]] [[office]]s in a [[region]] or [[country]].}}
9. {{lb|en|countable}} {{short for|en|general anesthetic}}{{ngd|, a [[substance]] [[use]]d to [[numb]] [[most]] [[feeling]] throughout the [[body]].}}
10. {{lb|en|uncountable}} {{short for|en|general anesthesia}}{{ngd|, the [[category]] of [[substance]]s [[use]]d to [[numb]] [[most]] [[feeling]] throughout the [[body]] or an [[instance]] of [[such]] [[substance]]s.}}
11. {{lb|en|uncountable|insurance}} {{short for|en|general insurance}}{{ngd|, the [[area]] of the [[insurance]] [[industry]] [[dealing]] with [[policies]] for the [[general public]].}}

Verb

1. To [[lead]] ([[soldiers]]) as a [[#Noun|general]].

Adverb

1. {{lb|en|obsolete}} In a [[#Adjective|general]] or [[collective]] manner or sense; in most cases; upon the whole.

Proper noun

1. {{lb|en|informal|medicine}} {{ellipsis of|en|[[general hospital|General Hospital]]}}.

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.