generally
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
From Middle English generally, generalliche, equivalent to general + -ly.
Pronunciation
Adverb
generally (comparative more generally, superlative most generally)
- Popularly or widely.
- It is generally known that the Earth is round.
- As a rule; usually; typically; in most cases.
- I generally have a walk in the afternoon.
- 1661, John Fell, The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond:
- During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant […]
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 2:
- He used to drop into my chambers once in a while to smoke, and was first-rate company. When I gave a dinner there was generally a cover laid for him. I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me.
- 1922, Michael Arlen, “3/19/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days:
- Ivor had acquired more than a mile of fishing rights with the house ; he was not at all a good fisherman, but one must do something ; one generally, however, banged a ball with a squash-racket against a wall.
- Without reference to specific details.
- Generally speaking …
- 1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:
- “There ain’t no drain of nothing short handy, is there?” said the Chicken, generally. “This here sluicing night is hard lines to a man as lives on his condition.”
Captain Cuttle proffered a glass of rum […]
- In the general case, without exception; in all cases.
- It is generally true that the angles of a triangle sum to 180 degrees.
- (obsolete) Collectively; as a whole; without omissions.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Samuel 17:11:
- I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee.
Synonyms
- (popularly or widely): commonly
- (as a rule; usually): basically, by and large, commonly, ordinarily, mostly, regularly, wontedly; see also Thesaurus:mostly or Thesaurus:usually or Thesaurus:normally
- (without reference to specific details): generically; see also Thesaurus:generally
- (collectively): collaboratively, en masse; see also Thesaurus:jointly
Derived terms
Translations
popularly or widely
|
as a rule; usually
|
without reference to specific details
|
Alternative forms
Etymology
Pronunciation
Adverb
generally
- exceptionlessly, always (without exception)
- widely, usually (as a rule)
- generally (without reference to detail)
Descendants
- English: generally
References
- “ǧenerāllī, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
