Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
overgeneralize
verb
/ˌoʊvərˈdʒɛnərəlaɪz/
Definition
To apply a general rule too broadly, often leading to inaccurate conclusions or assumptions.
Examples
- After observing a few cases of people succeeding without a college degree, she began to overgeneralize that education was not important.
- He tends to overgeneralize his experiences to justify his views about people from other cultures.
Meaning
When someone overgeneralizes, they take specific instances or examples and make sweeping statements based on them, ignoring exceptions or variations.
Synonyms
- Oversimplify
- Generalize
- Extrapolate
- Overstate
