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Comprehensive, generally valid, and suitable or applicable for many or all purposes, people, or situations.
Es gibt leider keine universal gültige Lösung für dieses komplexe Problem.
Unfortunately, there is no universally valid solution to this complex problem.
The word 'universal' belongs to an international word family that also includes 'Universum' (universe) and 'Universität' (university). All these words have the Latin origin 'universus', meaning 'whole' or 'all-encompassing'.
Die Menschenrechte haben einen universalen Geltungsanspruch.
Human rights claim universal validity.
'Universal' can stand before a noun as a normal adjective and is then declined. However, it is also very often used as an invariable adverb, especially in the combination 'universal einsetzbar' (universally usable).
Dieses Ladegerät hat einen universalen Anschluss.
This charger has a universal connector.
In the meaning of 'generally valid', 'universal' is often found in fixed combinations such as 'eine universale Lösung' (a universal solution), 'ein universaler Code' (a universal code), or 'ein universales Prinzip' (a universal principle).
Gibt es ein universales Heilmittel gegen diese Krankheit?
Is there a universal cure for this disease?
To describe a person with many different talents, 'universal' is often used as the first part of a compound noun. Typical examples are 'das Universalgenie' (universal genius/polymath) or 'der Universalgelehrte' (polymath).
Sie gilt als Universalgelehrte, weil sie in vielen verschiedenen Fächern forscht.
She is considered a polymath because she conducts research in many different fields.
general
'allgemein' (general) and 'universal' can both mean that something does not apply only to one individual case. 'allgemein' is used very often for rules, information, or statements that concern many people or cases. 'universal' sounds stronger: it means that something is very comprehensive and fits many or even all situations. In addition, 'universal' can mean that something can be used in many different ways. For normal broad statements, 'allgemein' is usually more natural; for something that is especially widely applicable, 'universal' fits better.
Für die Reise haben die Eltern einen universalen Adapter gekauft.
For the trip, the parents bought a universal adapter.
In der Küche erklärt meine Schwester die allgemeinen Regeln für die Vorbereitung.
In the kitchen, my sister explains the general rules for the preparation.