Generally speaking
Example: Generally speaking, dogs are friendly animals to humans.
Definition
"Generally speaking" is a phrase used to indicate that a statement applies in most cases or broadly, but may have exceptions. It introduces a generalization or a common viewpoint rather than a precise or absolute fact.
Etymology
The phrase "generally speaking" combines 'generally,' derived from the Latin 'generalis,' meaning 'relating to a whole class,' and 'speaking,' from the Old English 'specan,' meaning 'to talk.' It has been used to signal broad statements since the early modern English period. Did you know it functions as a softener to make assertions less rigid?
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"Generally speaking" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (C1) - set 1", containing 130 commonly used expressions.
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