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generic you

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Examples
  • Brushing your teeth is healthy.
  • These days you have to be careful with your money.

Noun

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generic you

  1. The pronoun you, used to refer to an unspecified person or to people in general.
    • 2015, Zsófia Demjén, Sylvia Plath and the Language of Affective States: Written Discourse and the Experience of Depression, page 161:
      The generic you can include more than just the direct addressee of the speech — it can even include those who are only over-hearing (or ‘over-reading’), suggesting that the reader could feel like they are also addressed by the pronoun.

Usage notes

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Synonyms

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