General synonyms are ordinary, common, and usual. When we use the word general to describe something, we emphasize its universality, indicating that it is common to most people or things. For example, "The average person needs eight hours of sleep in a day", "This is a general living habit", "Various models of cars have general characteristics".

Using general synonyms can also mean ordinary, plain, and nothing special. This usage is usually used with adjectives, such as "average novel", "average performance", "average scenery". At this time, using general synonyms to describe something is usually a less positive evaluation because it has no outstanding advantages or characteristics.

In some cases, general synonyms may be used to express concepts such as universals, general rules, and general laws. This usage usually appears in the fields of culture, social sciences, law, etc., such as "General principles apply to all public policies", "In general, the law requires you to comply with urban planning laws", "General provisions say , students must abide by school rules." In this usage, the general synonym is an objective description rather than a subjective evaluation.