English Dictionary
Definition overgeneralization in British English
overgeneralization noun
[countable/uncountable] noun
/ˌəʊvə(r)dʒen(ə)rəlaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
1
the application of a rule that does not in fact apply and thus leads to errors, for example adding a regular verb ending to a verb that is irregular
Example
Errors, overgeneralization of rules and sometimes mixing languages are a natural stage of language development.
Synonyms and related words
2
making statements or drawing conclusions that are based on too few facts or a small number of instances
Example
Overgeneralization occurs when you take one incident or a few bits of information and turn it into a sweeping generalization.
Synonyms and related words
