overgeneralize
verb
over·gen·er·al·ize
ˌō-vər-ˈje-nə-rə-ˌlīz
-ˈjen-rə-
overgeneralized; overgeneralizing
: to generalize excessively: such as
a
intransitive
: to make excessively vague or general statements about something or someone
Of course, I am guilty here of grossly overgeneralizing, of caricaturing.—Peter Oliver
b
transitive + intransitive
: to generalize to the point of inaccuracy : to extrapolate a general theory, rule, etc. from too few facts or particulars
overgeneralizes from the results of a limited study
Since the needs of a low vision person and of a blind person can be very different, it is important not to overgeneralize the nature of visual impairment.—Roberto Manduchi and James Coughlan
c
intransitive
: to apply a rule of language too broadly
At a certain stage of language growth, children characteristically overgeneralize: They say sleeped instead of slept, brang (on the analogy of sang) instead of brought, and so forth.—Noam Chomsky
overgeneralization
ˌō-vər-ˌjen-rə-lə-ˈzā-shən
noun
-ˌje-nə-
plural overgeneralizations
… indulge in overgeneralization from fuzzy facts, or when facts are missing.
—Hy Ruchlis
… stereotypical overgeneralizations about the sexes …
—Nadine Taub and Elizabeth M. Schneider
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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