Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1100-1200
Language: French
Origin: Latin generalis 'of the whole type', from genus; GENUS

general

1 adjective
     
gen‧e‧ral1 S1 W1 [usually before noun]
1

not detailed

describing or relating to only the main features or parts of something, not the details:
a general introduction to computing
I skimmed through it to get a general impression of the text.
I have a general idea of what I want to express.
He spoke in general terms about greater competitiveness.
2

relating to whole

involving the whole of a situation, group, or thing, rather than specific parts of it:
There has been a general decline in standards.
ways to improve your general health
3

ordinary

ordinary or usual:
general cooking and cleaning
I hate paperwork as a general rule.
4

most people

shared by or affecting most people, or most of the people in a group:
These courses are based around topics of general interest.
How soon can the drug be made available for general use?
5

not limited

not limited to one use, activity, subject etc:
The next ten minutes passed in general conversation.
It's a good general fertilizer.
This type of microphone is suitable for general use.
6

approximate

used to talk about an approximate area or direction:
Pat and his friend were in the general area of the crime when it happened.
They started walking in the general direction of the pub.
7

job

BO used in the name of a job to show that the person who does it has complete responsibility:
the Attorney General
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary