universal means of or pertaining to the universe. It carries an Arena rating of 1524, earned across 4 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, universal ranks #1,761 of 17,111 for Most Sublime Words, #5,735 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #6,031 of 17,120 for Most Beautiful Words, #6,979 of 17,113 for Most Elegant Words.
universal is pronounced /ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsl̩/.
Why “universal” is a great word
Applicable to all people or things without exception. From Middle English universal, from Old French universal, from Latin ūniversālis ("of or belonging to all"), from ūniversus ("whole, entire"). Unlike "general," which often allows for outliers, or "ubiquitous," which merely describes common presence, universal speaks of an absolute commonality of principle or condition. It is the gravitational constant that binds distant galaxies, the shared blink before tears, and the arithmetic that holds true beneath every sky—humanity's fragile conviction that beneath the fractured particulars of custom and tongue, something holds for all of us.
Etymology
From Middle English universal, from Old French universal (modern French universel), from Latin ūniversālis, equivalent to universe + -al.
adj
- Of or pertaining to the universe.
- Common to all members of a group or class.e.g.“In Logic, the letter A is used as a symbol for the universal affirmative proposition in the general form "all x is y."”
- Common to all society; worldwide.e.g.“She achieved universal fame.”
- Unlimited; vast; infinite.e.g.“Playwrights have recognized the usefulness of this archetype and used him in many dramatic contexts, for the Trickster's freedom from determination gives him a universal fascination.”
- Useful for many purposes; all-purpose.e.g.“universal wrench”
noun
- A characteristic or property that particular things have in common.e.g.“When we examine common words, we find that, broadly speaking, proper names stand for particulars, while other substantives, adjectives, prepositions, and verbs stand for universals.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.