1
as in versatile
able to do many different kinds of things
a universal wrench
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in general
belonging or relating to the whole
mankind's universal need for affection
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in comprehensive
covering everything or all important points
the genius of Leonardo da Vinci was universal: he was an artist, an architect, an engineer, and a scientist, among other things
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4
as in ubiquitous
present in all places and at all times
after the home team won the national championship, throughout the city a sense of pride was as universal as the air
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of universal
Since then, the notion that international relations should promote great-power dominance, not universal values or networks of allies, has spread from Moscow to Washington.
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Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
The toolkit that keeps you productive Hardware Good laptop, noise-cancelling headphones, portable hotspot, universal adapters.
—Taylor Haught, Sacbee.com, 5 Jan. 2026
All vaccines for individuals younger than 18 are supplied free of charge to health care providers through the state’s universal childhood immunization program.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 5 Jan. 2026
This language is quite universal for everyone, right?
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for universal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for universal
Adjective
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Despite the uncertainty of his role entering training camp, Scott eventually formed a versatile safety trio with Moehrig and Ransom.—
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Just like black and white, gray pants are incredibly versatile.—
Adjective
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After setting a new standard for the organization in 2025, general manager Dan Morgan, head coach Dave Canales and their respective staffs need to raise the bar even higher.—
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Daniel McFadin is a general assignment reporter who has been with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette since October 2022.—
Adjective
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Nominees will be put through a comprehensive and rigorous process of researching and scoring across a wide range of quantitative and qualitative criteria, including scalability, revenue and user growth, and the use of breakthrough technology.—
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In an important essay, Andrew Sullivan noted this past fall that Trump’s indecency is comprehensive in style and substance.—
Adjective
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Luxury brands have sought to distance themselves from the increasingly shabby in-store experience and ubiquitous mark-downs at department stores.—
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This particular mashup hardly counts as culturally ubiquitous in 2025.—
Adjective
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But his boss was also adaptable enough to change his style to incorporate successful trends.—
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The sneakers are outfitted with the brand’s signature Fresh Foam insole that provides comfort and adaptable support.—
Adjective
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There’s a generic quality both to singer-songwriter Michaelson’s score (a combination of folk and Broadway pop) and to a romance that seems almost mystically predestined.—
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These elements cannot be captured through a generic governance rubric.—
Adjective
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Instead, Plaut plans to scale operations significantly to meet global demand.—
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Mortgage rates began to climb as inflation spiked coming out of the global pandemic, with the consumer price index hitting a four-decade high in 2022.—
Adjective
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The fertilizers engorged the Everglades on nutrients, especially phosphorus, leading to the widespread proliferation of cattails.—
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Amid widespread corruption under Chávez, as journalist Anne Appelbaum noted in a 2024 book, hundreds of billions of dollars were siphoned off from PDVSA and other Venezuelan companies and subsequently disappeared into private bank accounts around the world.—
Cite this Entry
“Universal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/universal. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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