in general
219
1.6
- idiom
:
en general
- There are exceptions for this population, but in general there's not.
- people in general
- society in general
- the public in general
And so religion in general is always aspirational.
- And so religion in general is always aspirational.
- And this whole ship in general is just so nice.
- But I think in general it's the same kind of concerns.
- In fact, the book buying audience in general is more female than male.
- Thanksgiving and the holidays in general are very dramatic.
- Aspirin, NSAID's in general will reduce that inflammation.
- So, yeah, just in general, telling that to people can help.
- It's because the monotheistic religions in general did not enslave their own people.
- But does having more heat just in general like make pollution worse?
- So the shade range in general is pretty good and pretty big.
Examples
-
In fact, the book buying audience in general is more female than male.
-
And do public employees in general have broader free speech rights?
-
All that said, I think that this is in general a bad thing.
-
It's only been in general use for about a year and a half.
Fiction book (1993) -
Honestly, in general, she has not been herself.
-
This couch, just, in general, is more comfortable.
-
But we must remember that in general, ghosting is not healthy.
-
The incubation period varies with each animal, but in general it runs about two months.
Fiction book (1990) -
In fact, paranoia in general is a good thing, because it keeps the government on its toes.
-
In general, people prefer to work in a collaborative environment rather than alone.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Most of the time
∞
1.0
Usually or in most cases
426
2.2
In the usual way for a person, thing, or group
186
1.0
In most cases
89
3.4
To say that something is true in most cases
73
3.5
In a general way without considering small details
33
3.3
In general, something is true when you think about everything
28
2.8
Usually in most cases
9
3.7
In most cases
3
4.2
In a general way without giving specific details
1
3.7
To say something is true in general
Antonyms
How General
1
3.7
219
1.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'true in most cases' is directly derivable from combining 'in' (within/inside) and 'general' (broad/overall), producing the adverbial sense 'generally' or 'as a rule'. This is a common preposition + adjective composition found across many languages (e.g., Spanish 'en general', French 'en général'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily understand it.
Etymology
The phrase in general comes from the idea of looking at the whole picture: general means the whole group, not a single detail. So in general means 'usually' or true in most cases.