With the heirless king going crazy and royal family poisoned, the general of the army finally had his chance to usurp the throne.
Source: tatoeba (1942)
General
/ˈd͡ʒɛn.(ə.)ɹəl/
Synonyms for "general" (383 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (77)
abstractacceptedaccustomedacross the boardadcaideaide-de-campaleatoricaleatoryall aroundall-inclusiveamorphousapproximateascendantassociatedassortedat the headaveragebabbittishbland
Show 37 more words
blanketblendedblobbyblurredblurrybossbourgeoisbrassbrigadierbrigadier generalbroadcampycaptaincasualcatholicchancechancychaoticchicken colonelchiefchief of staffciviccivilcocognatecollectivecollectivisticcolonelcombinedcommandantcommandercommander in chiefcommandingcommanding officercommissioned officercommoncommonplace
Adjective(15 words)
Strong matches (115)
communalcommunistcommunisticcommunitycommutualcompany officercompositecomprehensiveconfusedconjointcontrollingcooperativecosmopolitancustomarydisordereddiversifieddominantencyclopedicepidemiceveryday
Show 64 more words
execexecutive officerextendedextensivefamiliarfeaturelessfield marshalfield officerfirst lieutenantfive-star generalfoggyfour-star generalfuzzygeneral officergeneralissimogeneralizedgenericglobalgoverninghabitualhazyheadhegemonichegemonisticheterogeneoushigh-camphit-or-misshomelyhomespunhumdrumhybridill-definedimpreciseimprudentin ascendancyin chargein chiefin commonin the ascendantinaccurateinchoateinclusiveincoherentindecisiveindefinableindefiniteindeterminableindeterminateindiscreetindiscriminateindiscriminativeindistinctinexactinsensitiveinternationaljemadarjointjunior officerkitschylaxleaderleadinglieutenantlieutenant colonel
Adjective(17 words)
community-wideconstitutional historyconstitutional provisionscosmopolitanecumenicalgeneral chemistry foundationgeneral english labelgeneric approachgeneric contentgeneric grammargeneric itemgeneric methodgeneric patterngeneric taggeneric versionhigh levelhigh-level
Noun(13 words)
customary law of nationsfull generalgeneral officergeneral rulegeneral surgerygeneralist gallerygeneralizationhigh level overviewhigh level physicshigh level unitintroductoryitalian pubblicolatin communis
Verb(1 words)
Related words (191)
lieutenant generallooselow-campmajormajor generalmarechalmarshalmastermeagremiscellaneousmixedmongrelmutualnationalnaturalnaturalisticnaturisticnebulousneutralnonjudgmental
Show 106 more words
nonspecificnormalobscureodofficerone-star generalorderlessorderlyorderly officerordinaryoverallpanoramicparamountpervasivephilistineplebeianpoppopularpredominantpredominateprepollentpreponderantpreponderateprepotentprevailingprevalentpromiscuouspublicrandomrealisticreciprocalregnantregularregulatingregulativeregulatoryreigningrisaldarroughroutinerulingrun-of-the-millsenior officershadowed forthshadowyshapelesssharedshavetailsirdarsocialsocialisticsocietalsovereignstaff officerstatestochasticsubahdarsubalternsublieutenantsuperficialsupranationalsupremesweepingtactlessthe brassthe old manthree-star generaltop brasstwo-star generaltypicaluncharacterizedunclearuncriticaluncriticizingundefinedundemandingundestinedundeterminedundifferentiatedundifferentiatingundiscreetundiscriminatingundiscriminativeuneventfulunexactingunexceptionalunfastidiousuniversalunmeticulousunparticularunplainunrestrictedunselectiveunspecificunspecifiedunsubtleuntactfulusualvagueveiledvernacularvulgarwholesalewidewidespreadworldwide
Adjective(37 words)
macroscopic fungusmacroscopic phenomenamacroscopicalnon-specific approachnonacademic articlenonacademic categorynonacademic subjectnonethnic foodsoecumenicaloverall directionoverall forceoverall trendpopular goodspublic behaviorpublic declarationpublic demonstrationpublic eventpublic matterpublic presentationpublic program
Show 17 more words
public reportpúblicarough estimateuniversaluniversal frameworkuniversal languageuniversal physical lawuniversal setuniversal statementuniversal themeuniversal truthunrestricted supportuntargetedvague descriptionvague termsworld-wideworldwide
Noun(26 words)
mass readingmass the samplemass-marketmeasure massmilitary officermore mainstreammost genericnonspecialized chemistryofficerorganismal physiology lessonoverall impactoverall ruleoverarching ideapeople at largeportuguese públicopublic assetpublic interaction rulesregular education studentshermanspanish público
Adverb(2 words)
more public monumentmost general chemistry
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: abstract, abstract noun, abstract system, accepted, accustomed.
- Sentence evidence is available for general, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, derived_reverse, opengloss, wordnet, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "general".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "general"
Keep "general" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "general" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "general", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "general" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
13 entriesMore specific
11 entriesbasic topicbrigadier generalbroad claimelementary unitfour star generalgeneral conceptgeneral descriptiongeneral termintroductory coursemajor generaluniversal claim
Collocations
11 entriesgeneral descriptiongeneral educationgeneral ideageneral knowledgegeneral officergeneral publicgeneral purposegeneral rulegeneral termin generalmilitary general
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
7 entriesAntonyms
4 entriessimilar
18 entriesShowing 16 of 18 words.
Translations
10 translations across 9 languages.
Bashkir
1 entries- дөйөм adj (miscellaneous, not limited to a specific class)
Bulgarian
1 entries- общ adj (miscellaneous, not limited to a specific class)
Burmese
1 entries- အထွေထွေ adj (miscellaneous, not limited to a specific class)
French
1 entries- général adj (miscellaneous, not limited to a specific class)
Greek
1 entries- γενικός adj (miscellaneous, not limited to a specific class)
Hebrew
1 entries- כללי adj (miscellaneous, not limited to a specific class)
Indonesian
1 entries- umum adj (miscellaneous, not limited to a specific class)
Russian
1 entries- о́бщий adj (miscellaneous, not limited to a specific class)
Swedish
2 entries- allmän adj (miscellaneous, not limited to a specific class)
- generell adj (miscellaneous, not limited to a specific class)
Sample sentences
38 total sentences available.
In general, little is known about nonlinear second order differential equations.
Source: tatoeba (2380)
The fact that educated Americans in general no longer share understandable background knowledge is a chief cause of their inability to communicate effectively.
Source: tatoeba (19002)
Short-term effects of smoking include unfitness, wheezing, a general vulnerability to illness, bad breath, bad skin and so on.
Source: tatoeba (19959)
Showing 4 of 38 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "general"?
Closest matches include abstract, abstract noun, abstract system, accepted, accustomed.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "general"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.