general-purpose

adjective

gen·​er·​al-pur·​pose ˈjen-rəl-ˈpər-pəs How to pronounce general-purpose (audio)
ˈje-nə-
: suitable to be used for two or more basic purposes

Examples of general-purpose in a Sentence

a general-purpose glue for routine household repairs
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Prompt injection has created a significant barrier to building trustworthy AI assistants, which may be why general-purpose Big Tech AI like Apple's Siri doesn't currently work like ChatGPT. ArsTechnica, 16 Apr. 2025 Fertilize container petunias weekly or biweekly with a diluted general-purpose liquid fertilizer when watering. Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Apr. 2025 Small models are not used as general-purpose tools like their larger cousins. Stephen Ornes, Wired News, 13 Apr. 2025 Even university-level mathematics, an area that most LLMs are expected to handle, is not assessed well by general-purpose benchmarks. Olga Megorskaya, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for general-purpose

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of general-purpose was in 1894

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Cite this Entry

“General-purpose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/general-purpose. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

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