[
UK
/jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsəl/
]
[ US /ˌjunəˈvɝsəɫ/ ]
[ US /ˌjunəˈvɝsəɫ/ ]
NOUN
- (logic) a proposition that asserts something of all members of a class
-
a behavioral convention or pattern characteristic of all members of a particular culture or of all human beings
some form of religion seems to be a human universal - (linguistics) a grammatical rule (or other linguistic feature) that is found in all languages
-
coupling that connects two rotating shafts allowing freedom of movement in all directions
in motor vehicles a universal joint allows the driveshaft to move up and down as the vehicle passes over bumps
ADJECTIVE
-
adapted to various purposes, sizes, forms, operations
universal chuck
universal screwdriver
universal wrench -
of worldwide scope or applicability
the shrewdest political and ecumenical comment of our time
an issue of cosmopolitan import
universal experience -
applicable to or common to all members of a group or set
the play opened to universal acclaim
rap enjoys universal appeal among teenage boys
How To Use universal In A Sentence
- This absorbing profile muses on his universal popularity and compulsive desire to draw and paint. Times, Sunday Times
- That is, the Olympian Zeus 'ban on human creativity: which shows Zeus's intended bestialization of all mortal human individuals, by forbidding, not only the use, but the discovery of any universal physical principle, such as "fire," or, today, nuclear-fission power. LaRouche's Latest
- Therefore, if the vaccine afforded protection for life, there would be a very strong argument in favor of universal vaccination - no chicken pox and no shingles.
- This isn't an attempt to universalize, for there is rich, specific detail everywhere: food, foliage, the course of the conflict. The Times Literary Supplement
- Do you think Hillary wants to sit by and watch McCain appoint Supreme Court Justices, block universal health care, send more money to Iraq in exchange for body bags? McCain raises $21.5 million in May
- That queasy feeling of disillusionment is a universal one says Schmidt; one that makes this particular play accessible for audiences on a very personal level.
- The nature of both universal and human expression is identical, the universal being mirrored in the human entity.
- Quick Tag (Mac): Quickly add tags to the current song playing in iTunes with a simple, universal keyboard shortcut and autocompletion for quick tagging. The 23 Best iTunes Add-ons | Lifehacker Australia
- From the first, these universal histories represented both scientific advances and political and religious challenges.
- The plaque tells us the sculpture is ‘a symbol of universal human endeavour.’
