To extend or apply something universally rather than only to particular cases.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- universalize a rule
- universalize a claim
On the page
The argument universalized a rule drawn from one limited setting.
The proposal universalized eligibility without equalizing the available resources.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- universalize
- Past tense
- universalized
- Past participle
- universalized
- Present participle
- universalizing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- universalize
- Present continuous
- am/is/are universalizing
- Present perfect
- have/has universalized
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been universalizing
- Past
- universalized
- Past continuous
- was/were universalizing
- Past perfect
- had universalized
- Past perfect continuous
- had been universalizing
- Future
- will universalize
- Future continuous
- will be universalizing
- Future perfect
- will have universalized
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been universalizing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: universalize; universalizes; universalized; universalized; universalizing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: institutional and conceptual change, philosophical orientation, qualification of recurrence and degree. Disciplines: academic writing, philosophy, cross-disciplinary analysis. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: universalizes.
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