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universal

universal

2 4.9
A trait or idea found across different cultures
  • noun
  • /ˌjunɪˈvɜrsəl/
translation icon : rasgo universal
  • It seems to me it's a sort of universal trait in human beings.
  • human universal
  • cultural universal
  • moral universal

Examples

  • Teachers need to avoid generalizations or stereotyping and explore cultural universals, applying them to other realms of social studies.

    Academic text (2003)
  • But underneath these cross-cultural differences, there is a bedrock of human universals that actually makes each individual share a profound biological heritage.

    Academic text (2013)
  • And I did that by showing what a universal problem it is.

  • That there is some universal good, right?

  • We should talk about them as a universal and immutable good.

  • All people share universals, such as the need for food, water, and shelter.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Jung's archetypes and the collective unconscious are examples of personality universals, present in every human being.

    Academic text (1994)
  • All people share universals, such as the need for food, water, and shelter.

  • In social science, we study universals to understand the common traits that connect all cultures.

  • Psychologists often explore personality universals that are found in every individual across different societies.

Synonyms

universal proposition
vsuniversal
  • Specialized
8.9

A statement that says something is true for every member of a group

is a broader trait or idea true across people and things generally

Antonyms

particular
  • Specialized
1 8.7

A statement that applies to some but not all members

Compounds

A quality that attracts many people from different countries and backgrounds

The right of almost all adults to vote in elections

universal donor
  • Specialized
1 3.8

A person with type O negative blood whose blood can be given to people of any blood type

Universal Time
  • Specialized
1 4.8

Time at Greenwich, England that countries use as the world time standard

universal joint
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A small part that connects two turning shafts at different angles and passes power between them

4.9

The global time for clocks, based on Greenwich time and adjusted with extra seconds to match Earth's rotation

linguistic universal
  • Specialized
7.5

A rule or feature that appears in all human languages

3.4

A set of black bars and numbers on a product package scanned in stores

universal meter
  • Archaic
9.9

A former unit of length based on a pendulum that swings once in one second

A number that shows how strongly two objects with mass attract each other depending on their distance

universal proposition
  • Specialized
8.9

A statement that says something is true for every member of a group

universal quantifier
  • Specialized
9.7

A symbol that shows a statement is true for every member of a group

7.7

A person allowed to do all business for someone else

6.2

A number used in the ideal gas law to link energy, temperature, and amount of gas

A web address you type into a browser to open a page or file

universal veil
  • Specialized
9.9

A thin skin covering a young mushroom that breaks, leaving a cup at the base or patches on the cap

universal set
  • Specialized
7.0

All the things we consider in a math problem, including every smaller group

An imagined liquid that can dissolve any material

How Universal

universal
2 4.9
widespread
256 3.6
common
797 1.0
rare
582 4.1

Surface Forms

universal singular
universals plural

Etymology

Universal as a noun comes from uni- 'one' and vers- 'turn', like universe meaning 'one whole'. So a universal is a trait or idea found everywhere or shared by all people.