Universal Meaning
/ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsl̩/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjOf or pertaining to the universe.
adjCommon to all members of a group or class.
Sentence Examples
English is a universal language and is used all over the world.
English is a kind of universal language.
Such problems are a universal feature of old age.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The concept of human rights is a ____ value that applies to all people everywhere.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Mathematics is often called the ____ language because its rules are the same in every country in the world today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English universal, from Old French universal (modern French universel), from Latin ūniversālis, equivalent to universe + -al.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In Logic, the letter A is used as a symbol for the universal affirmative proposition in the general form "all x is y.""
— 1911, 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica:
"I had been planning every day through these years toward a universal car."
— 1922, Henry Ford, Samuel Crowther, chapter 4, in My Life and Work, Garden City, New York: Garden City Publishing Company, Inc., →OCLC:
"Eventually, the railway opened on Monday, December 14, 1896, with a universal fare of 1d. collected at the turnstiles, and conditions were immediately chaotic, as many passengers travelled round and round, and refused to leave the cars."
— 1955 January, Charles E. Lee, “The Glasgow Underground Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 24:
"Sutton SignWriting is the universal and complete solution for written sign language, ISO 15924 script code "Sgnw"."
— 2022 January 30, Steve Slevinski, “Formal SignWriting”, in IETF, archived from the original on 30 Apr 2024:
"[John] Dryden's univerſal genius, his firmly eſtablished reputation, and the glory his memory muſt always reflect upon the nation that gave him birth, make us ardently wiſh for a more accurate life of him than any which has hitherto appeared: […]"
— a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “The Life of John Dryden, Esq.”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume I, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, page xiii:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The concept of human rights is a ____ value that applies to all people everywhere.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Mathematics is often called the ____ language because its rules are the same in every country in the world today.