as in unlimited
not limited or specialized in application or purpose
a general-purpose glue for routine household repairs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of general-purpose
Fertilize this plant monthly from spring to fall with any general-purpose houseplant fertilizer at half-strength.
—
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026
The company says specialized hardware can handle its massive AI workloads more efficiently than general-purpose chips.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 11 Mar. 2026
The shortage would not be of general-purpose semiconductors, or microcontrollers, that caused plant shutdowns, low vehicle inventories, disabled features and higher prices in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Breana Noble, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Building general-purpose robots remains fundamentally constrained by data scarcity and labor-intensive engineering.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for general-purpose
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026
The company says specialized hardware can handle its massive AI workloads more efficiently than general-purpose chips.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 11 Mar. 2026
The shortage would not be of general-purpose semiconductors, or microcontrollers, that caused plant shutdowns, low vehicle inventories, disabled features and higher prices in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Breana Noble, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Building general-purpose robots remains fundamentally constrained by data scarcity and labor-intensive engineering.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for general-purpose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for general-purpose
Adjective
-
In 2000, voters approved Proposition 34, which limited how much a person or group could donate to a campaign to under $3,000 — since raised to $5,900 — but allowed state political parties and their county satellites to raise and give virtually unlimited amounts.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.—
Angela Yang,
NBC news,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
As part of a two-question ballot measure, the Hickman Mills School District is asking voters to approve a general obligation bond to pay down the district’s debt.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
-
But there is some risk the city will need to increase its general fund contribution in the new fiscal year because there are expected to be cuts to state funding.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Each fellowship is accompanied by a $75,000 unrestricted grant.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Assuming there will be a cap on the amount of unrestricted free agents a team can select, the Fire and Tempo will be looking for players in the bargain bins.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“General-purpose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/general-purpose. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
