adjective
- based on or characterized by drawing conclusions from insufficient evidence or too few examples; too broad or sweeping in scope
Usage: British spelling (American: overgeneralized); commonly used in academic and critical contexts
verb
- past tense and past participle of overgeneralise; to make or state something in overly broad terms without sufficient supporting evidence
Usage: British spelling (American: overgeneralized); transitive or intransitive use
Examples
- The study's conclusions were overgeneralised because the sample size was too small.
- He overgeneralised when he claimed that all teenagers are lazy.
- The report made overgeneralised statements about the entire industry based on limited data.
- Critics argued that the author overgeneralised the experiences of one community to all similar groups.
- It is easy to overgeneralise from a single case study.
- The overgeneralised claim ignored important regional differences.
- She overgeneralised her personal experience into a universal rule.