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Meaning & use

global

adjective·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈɡləʊ.bəl/
US/ˈɡloʊ.bəl/

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a noun

    Involving or affecting the whole planet or all countries.

    Grammar: Mostly before a noun: global warming, a global brand.

    Patterns

    • on a global scale
    • a global problem

    Climate change is a global problem.

    The company has a global network of offices.

    The disease caused a global emergency.

  2. adjectivecomparable

    Including every part or case, as a whole, with nothing left out.

    Grammar: Works with nouns such as view, search, change.

    Patterns

    • a global view of something

    She gave a global view of the project instead of focusing on details.

    A global search of the document found twelve errors.

    The teacher made a global change to the grading policy.

  3. adjectivebefore a nouncomputing

    In computing, available or usable everywhere in a program or system.

    Grammar: Contrasts with local: a global variable.

    Patterns

    • a global variable

    The program stores the score in a global variable.

    You can change the global settings for all users.

    Avoid global state when you can.

Common combinations

global warming
Global warming is melting the polar ice.
global economy
The global economy slowed this year.
global market
The firm sells in the global market.
global impact
The invention had a global impact.
global village
The internet turned the world into a global village.

Synonyms and how they differ

worldwide
Worldwide is simpler and often follows the noun or acts as an adverb, while global is more common in formal and technical phrases.
international
International means between nations, while global means covering the whole world.
universal
Universal means applying to everyone or everything everywhere, even beyond Earth.
comprehensive
Comprehensive means thorough and complete, with no geographic idea.

Opposites

localregional

Word family

globe noun
the Earth, or a model of it
globally adverb
across the whole world
globalize verb
to spread across the world
globalization noun
the growing connection of economies and cultures worldwide
globalist noun
someone who favors worldwide approaches

Commonly confused: global or general?

global vs general

General means not specific or widespread, while global means covering the whole world.

Practice

Which sentence uses global in the computing sense?

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