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hypernym

/ˌhaɪpərˈnɪm/
IPA guide

Other forms: hypernyms

A hypernym is a word that names a broad category that includes other words. "Primate" is a hypernym for "chimpanzee" and "human."

Whenever you see a word ending in nym, you know it’s going to be some kind of name. In this case, a hypernym is the name of a broader category of things. Dog, for example, is a hypernym for dachshund, Chihuahua, and poodle. Superhero is a hypernym for Batman and Spider-Man. A word can’t be a hypernym if there are no other words that can be classified under it. Hypernyms are also called generic terms or superordinates.

Definitions of hypernym
  1. noun
    a word that is more generic than a given word
    see moresee less
    type of:
    word
    a unit of language that native speakers can identify
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