Definitions for General
ˈdʒɛn ər əlGen·er·al

Princeton's WordNet(3.00 / 6 votes)Rate this definition:

1. general, full general(noun)

   a general officer of the highest rank

2. general, superior general(noun)

   the head of a religious order or congregation

3. general(adj)

   a fact about the whole (as opposed to particular)

   "he discussed the general but neglected the particular"

4. general(adj)

   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"

5. general(adj)

   not specialized or limited to one class of things

   "general studies"; "general knowledge"

6. general(adj)

   prevailing among and common to the general public

   "the general discontent"

7. general(adj)

   affecting the entire body

   "a general anesthetic"; "general symptoms"

8. general(adj)

   somewhat indefinite

   "bearing a general resemblance to the original"; "a general description of the merchandise"

9. cosmopolitan, ecumenical, oecumenical, general, universal, worldwide, world-wide(verb)

   of worldwide scope or applicability

   "an issue of cosmopolitan import"; "the shrewdest political and ecumenical comment of our time"- Christopher Morley; "universal experience"

10. general(verb)

    command as a general

    "We are generaled by an incompetent!"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. general(Noun)

   Commander of an army.

   Hannibal was one of the greatest generals of the ancient world.

2. general(Noun)

   A rank in the army and air force that is higher than colonel or brigadier, and is usually the highest rank group next to commander in chief, except in countries that use the rank of field marshal.

3. general(Noun)

   a commissioned rank in the British Army and Royal Marines, above lieutenant general and below field marshal.

4. general(Noun)

   a commissioned general officer in the United States Army, Marine Corps, or Air Force superior to a lieutenant general. A general is equal in rank or grade to a four star admiral. In the US Army, a general is junior to a general of the army. In the US Marine Corps, a general is the highest rank of commissioned officer. In the US Air Force, a general is junior to a general of the air force.

5. general(Noun)

   Short for general anaesthetic or general anaesthetia.

6. general(Adjective)

   Including or involving every part or member of a given or implied entity, whole etc.; as opposed to specific or particular.

7. general(Adjective)

   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.

8. general(Adjective)

   Prevalent or widespread among a given class or area; common, usual.

9. general(Adjective)

   Not limited in use or application; applicable to the whole or every member of a class or category.

10. general(Adjective)

    Giving or consisting of only the most important aspects of something, ignoring minor details; indefinite.

11. general(Adjective)

    Not limited to a specific class; miscellaneous, concerned with all branches of a given subject or area.

Origin: From general, generall, general, and their source, generalis, from genus + -alis.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. General(adj)

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

2. General(adj)

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

3. General(adj)

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

4. General(adj)

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

5. General(adj)

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

6. General(adj)

   as a whole; in gross; for the most part

7. General(adj)

   usual; common, on most occasions; as, his general habit or method

8. General(adj)

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

9. General(adj)

   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

10. General(adj)

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

11. General(adj)

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

12. General(adj)

    the public; the people; the vulgar

Origin: [F. gnral. See General., a.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. General

   A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given. The term "general" is used in two ways: as the generic title for all grades of general officer; and as a specific rank. Since the late twentieth century, the rank of general is usually the highest active rank of a military not at war.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. General

   jen′ėr-al, adj. relating to a genus or whole class: including many species: not special: not restricted: common: prevalent: public: loose: vague.—n. a class embracing many species: an officer who is head over a whole department: a military officer who commands a body of men not less than a brigade (often general officer): the chief commander of an army in service: (R.C. Church) the head of a religious order, responsible only to the Pope: (Shak.) the public, the vulgar.—n. General′ē, esp. in pl. Generalia, general principles.—adj. Generalī′sable.—n. Generalisā′tion.—v.t. Generalīse′, to include under a general term: to infer (the nature of a class) from one or a few instances.—v.i. to reason inductively.—n. General′ity.—advs. Gen′erally, Gen′eral (obs.), in a general or collective manner or sense: in most cases: upon the whole.—n. Gen′eralship, the position of a military commander: military tactics.—General Assembly (see Assembly); General Epistle, one addressed to the whole Church (same as Catholic Epistle); General practitioner, a physician who devotes himself to general practice rather than to special diseases; General principle, a principle to which there are no exceptions within its range of application; General servant, a servant whose duties are not special, but embrace domestic work of every kind.—In general, mostly, as a general rule. [O. Fr.,—L. generalis—genus.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. general

   The commander of an army: the military rank corresponding to the naval one of admiral. The title includes all officers above colonels, ascending with qualifying prefixes, as brigadier-general, major-general, lieutenant-general, to general, above which is nothing save the exceptional rank of field-marshal and of captain-general or commander-in-chief of the land forces of the United Kingdom.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. general

   A term for the roll of the drum which calls the troops together. To “beat the general” is a phrase drawn from the French drum instructors, “Battre la Generale.”

2. general

   The highest military title in the U. S. army, and the highest military title below that of field-marshal in European armies. A general ordinarily commands no body of men less than an army or corps d’armée.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'General' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #280

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'General' in Written Corpus Frequency: #537

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'General' in Nouns Frequency: #973

4. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'General' in Adjectives Frequency: #25

Anagrams for General »

1. enlarge, gleaner

2. Enlarge

3. Gleaner

How to pronounce General?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say General in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of General in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of General in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of General in a Sentence

1. Unknown:

   All general statements are false.

2. Mary Jane:

   Sex in general is absolutely fine.

3. Stan Shipley:

   There's a general flight to safety.

4. Anonymous:

   General Failure's Fault. Not Yours.

5. Thomas Fuller:

   The grave is the general meeting place.

Images & Illustrations of General

Popularity rank by frequency of use