Blanket terminology

Blanket terminology is the name given to a term that assigns the same name to a range of often unrelated or disparate group of events, phenomena, or ideas. It is found most commonly in history, in which historical eras and long periods of time are assigned a name which tendentiously lends the impression of continuity. One such example is the 'Cold War' which groups together events that often fail to match up in character to events assigned the same name.