Definition of "general" []

• Concerned with, applicable to, or affecting the whole or every member of a class or category: "subduing all her impressions as a woman, to something more general” ( Virginia Woolf). (adjective)
• Affecting or characteristic of the majority of those involved; prevalent: general discontent. (adjective)
• Of or affecting the entire body: general paralysis. (adjective)
• Being usually the case; true or applicable in most instances but not all: the general correctness of her decisions. (adjective)
• Not limited in scope, area, or application: as a general rule. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Thus it only remains to treat in general of the question as to the reconcilableness of the idea of the origin of species through evolution, through gradual development, _in general_ with a theistic view of the world."
• "After the stricture and soreness of the lungs are removed, and the general febrile action is suppressed, it is desirable to give a _general tonic treatment_."
• "In the assembly of the estates, therefore, held at Toledo, 1480, in spite of all opposition, it was determined to establish a tribunal, under the name of the general inquisition (_general inquisicion suprema_)."