overgeneralization
noun
(alsoover-generalization);(UKusuallyovergeneralisation,over-generalisation)uk/ˌəʊ.və.dʒen.ər.əl.aɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/us/ˌoʊ.vɚ.dʒen.ər.əl.əˈzeɪ.ʃən/[CorU]
a written orspokenstatementin which you say or write that something istrueall of thetimewhen it is onlytruesome of thetime, or the use of suchstatements:
It is an overgeneralisation to say that he neverhelpsin thehouse.
Perceptions of thereligionhavesufferedfrom overgeneralization.
Synonym
generalization
[U]psychologyspecialized
a way ofthinkingin which someoneexpectssomethingnegativetohappenin allsituationsbecause of apreviousnegativeexperience:
There may be overgeneralisation of afeartosituationsthatresembletheoriginaltraumaticsituation.
[U]languagespecialized
the use of aruleoflanguageinsituationswhere it does not need to be used, or theincorrectuse of a word to refer to asimilar, but different, thing :
Overgeneralization is what makes alearnerproducetheungrammaticalform"goed"insteadof thecorrectform"went".
In the earlystagesof wordlearning, overgeneralisation oftenoccurs, when achilduses thewrongword tonameanobject.
Elaborating, specifying and simplifying
- abstract
- anti-reductionism
- anti-reductionist
- broad brush
- broaden
- enlarge
- enlarge on/uponsomething
- expand
- expand onsomething
- expansively
- over-elaboration
- overgeneralize
- oversimplification
- oversimplify
- predigested
- specificity
- specify
- split hairsidiom
- standardization
- standardize
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Linguistic terms & linguistic style