overgeneralization
- noun
- /ˌoʊvərˌdʒɛnərəˈlaɪzeɪʃən/
- Applications of the principles of MBE can help music educators think critically about issues in our classrooms, prevent overgeneralizations, and enable student success.
- overgeneralization error
- overgeneralization of break requests
- verb tense overgeneralization
Examples
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The teacher warned the students that their overgeneralization of grammar rules might lead to mistakes in their writing.
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Making an overgeneralization about a group of people can lead to harmful stereotypes.
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While this is an overgeneralization, it works with most beginning and intermediate students.
Academic text (2003) -
The preceding statement, of course, may be an overgeneralization.
Academic text (2004) -
Just like a lot of these other posts, this is an obvious overgeneralization.
Blog text (1) -
As much as one might want to agree, such criticism often suffers from overgeneralization.
Academic text (2008) -
Although it is important to guard against overgeneralizations, coping strategies used by one population may have utility among other groups.
Academic text (2010) -
Until the child has mastered the crucial properties of verbs, overgeneralizations will occur.
Academic text (2012) -
Such formulas are, at best, overgeneralizations that do more to confuse than elucidate; at worst, they are simply incorrect.
Academic text (2007) -
Her overgeneralization about teenagers was based on a few bad experiences she had.
Synonyms
A statement that applies to many people or situations
Using a word for more things than it really means
Antonyms
How General
Surface Forms
Morphology
overgeneralization = overgeneralize (transparent) = over + generalize + ation
The noun is a regular nominalization of the verb 'overgeneralize' (over- + generalize), so the meaning is directly derived.
Etymology
Overgeneralization comes from the parts over- meaning 'too much' and generalize, from general, meaning 'make a rule for many cases'. So, an overgeneralization is when you make an idea or rule too broad and apply it where it does not fit.