[
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
- 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.’
- The cosmic symbol of the rising sun expresses the universality of God above all particular places and yet maintains the concreteness of divine revelation. Ignatius Insight Article on Restoring Ad Orientem