generalist

American

[jen-er-uh-list] / ˈdʒɛn ər ə lɪst /

noun

a person whose knowledge, aptitudes, and skills are applied to a field as a whole or to a variety of different fields (specialist ).

generalist British

/ ˈdʒɛnrə-, ˈdʒɛnərəlɪst /

noun

1. a person who is knowledgeable in many fields of study
2. ( as modifier )
  
  a generalist profession
ecology an organism able to utilize many food sources and therefore able to flourish in many habitats Compare specialist

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of generalist

First recorded in 1605–15; general + -ist

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I think generalist jobs, where there are many different skills bundled together, are good jobs in an AI world.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Out of the box, Claude is a capable generalist,” the company said.

From Barron's

The illness is caused by the generalist parasite Plasmodium relictum and has played a central role in the steep declines and extinctions of native Hawaiian honeycreepers.

From Science Daily

Also, generalist investors who don’t specialize in the life sciences have begun making more investments.

From The Wall Street Journal

The nature of work will shift toward generalist roles that value the ability to make connections, work across organizational silos and demonstrate creativity in problem-solving.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023