overgeneralization

[oh-ver-jen-er-uh-luh-zey-shuhn]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the act or process of overgeneralizing.
the result of overgeneralizing.
Linguistics.��(in language acquisition) the process of extending the application of a rule to items that are excluded from it in the language norm, as when a child uses the regular past tense verb ending -ed of forms like I walked to produce forms like *I goed or *I rided.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of overgeneralization¹

First recorded in 1945–50; over- + generalization

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

And one of the things that happens to kids—well, it happens to adults, too—is that we engage in a process of overgeneralization.

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In his zeal to cover as much ground as possible, he sometimes sacrifices nuance to overgeneralization.

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But it’s probably an overgeneralization to say they play a soft defense on “all” opponent receivers.

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The book was both celebrated as a primer for why Mr. Trump won the 2016 election and derided as an overgeneralization of poor white culture.

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Here’s a brash overgeneralization: American writers tend to charge at life freestyle, while Europeans approach it with an ironic half smile and perhaps a glance at their libraries.

From

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When To Use

�� does��overgeneralization mean?

Overgeneralization is the act of drawing conclusions that are too broad because they exceed what could be logically concluded from the available information. The word can also be used to refer to an instance when such an overly broad conclusion has been made.Overgeneralization is frequently used in everyday speech, but it can also be used in logic, linguistics, psychology, or other fields of research to mean something a little bit more specific relating to the particular field. Generalization is similar, but it is typically used when drawing such a conclusion is considered appropriately practical and not overly broad.Example: Unfortunately, there is a lot of overgeneralization in the report, which claims that all hospitals lack evacuation plans, when in fact only a small number of hospitals were studied.

overgear overgeneralize

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