abstract generalization

Frequency: 5.54.3 per million words

a general idea or principle that is not based on specific examples

generalizationadjective + generalization

Categories:

abstract

Examples (10)

  • This theory reduces messy data to an abstract generalization that overlooks exceptions.
  • Try to avoid making an abstract generalization based on a single case.
  • Her essay opens with an abstract generalization, then narrows to concrete evidence.
  • The professor criticized the paper for relying on abstract generalizations rather than fieldwork.
  • We formed an abstract generalization after weeks of modeling, but it still needs testing.
  • In casual talk, an abstract generalization can sound pretentious if not explained.
  • That headline is an abstract generalization disguised as a fact.
  • The policy memo turns specific incidents into abstract generalizations that miss local nuance.
  • He tends to retreat into abstract generalization whenever the details get messy.
  • Be wary of abstract generalizations: they clarify patterns but can erase complexity.