The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

General \Gen"er*al\, n. [F. g['e]n['e]ral. See General., a.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. The whole; the total; that which comprehends or relates to
      all, or the chief part; -- opposed to particular.
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            In particulars our knowledge begins, and so spreads
            itself by degrees to generals.        --Locke.
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   2. (Mil.) One of the chief military officers of a government
      or country; the commander of an army, of a body of men not
      less than a brigade. In European armies, the highest
      military rank next below field marshal.
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   Note: In the United States the office of General of the Army
         has been created by temporary laws, and has been held
         only by Generals U. S. Grant, W. T. Sherman, and P. H.
         Sheridan. Popularly, the title General is given to
         various general officers, as General, Lieutenant
         general, Major general, Brigadier general, Commissary
         general, etc. See Brigadier general, Lieutenant
         general, Major general, in the Vocabulary.
         [1913 Webster]

   3. (Mil.) The roll of the drum which calls the troops
      together; as, to beat the general.
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   4. (Eccl.) The chief of an order of monks, or of all the
      houses or congregations under the same rule.
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   5. The public; the people; the vulgar. [Obs.] --Shak.
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   In general, in the main; for the most part.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Audience \Au"di*ence\, n. [F. audience, L. audientia, fr. audire
   to hear. See Audible, a.]
   1. The act of hearing; attention to sounds.
      [1913 Webster]

            Thou, therefore, give due audience, and attend.
                                                  --Milton.
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   2. Admittance to a hearing; a formal interview, esp. with a
      sovereign or the head of a government, for conference or
      the transaction of business.
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            According to the fair play of the world,
            Let me have audience: I am sent to speak. --Shak.
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   3. An auditory; an assembly of hearers. Also applied by
      authors to their readers.
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            Fit audience find, though few.        --Milton.
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            He drew his audience upward to the sky. --Dryden.
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   Court of audience, or Audience court (Eng.), a court long
      since disused, belonging to the Archbishop of Canterbury;
      also, one belonging to the Archbishop of York. --Mozley &
      W.

   In general (or open) audience, publicly.

   To give audience, to listen; to admit to an interview.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

in general
    adv 1: without distinction of one from others; "he is interested
           in snakes in general" [syn: generally, in general,
           in the main] [ant: specifically]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

28 Moby Thesaurus words for "in general":
   all in all, all things considered, altogether, as a rule,
   as a whole, as an approximation, at large, broadly,
   broadly speaking, by and large, chiefly, commonly, generally,
   generally speaking, mainly, mostly, normally, on balance,
   on the whole, ordinarily, overall, predominantly, prevailingly,
   roughly, roughly speaking, routinely, speaking generally,
   usually