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[ UK /jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsə‍l/ ]
[ US /ˌjunəˈvɝsəɫ/ ]
NOUN
  1. (logic) a proposition that asserts something of all members of a class
  2. 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
  3. (linguistics) a grammatical rule (or other linguistic feature) that is found in all languages
  4. 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
  1. adapted to various purposes, sizes, forms, operations
    universal chuck
    universal screwdriver
    universal wrench
  2. of worldwide scope or applicability
    the shrewdest political and ecumenical comment of our time
    an issue of cosmopolitan import
    universal experience
  3. 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.’
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