Something that applies everywhere and in all cases. Human rights are universal; they belong to everyone who is part of the human family.

late 14c., "pertaining to the whole of something specified; occurring everywhere," from Old French universel "general, universal" (12c.), from Latin universalis "of or belongi [..]

used or understood everywhere.

(linguistics) a grammatical rule (or other linguistic feature) that is found in all languages cosmopolitan: of worldwide scope or applicability; "an issue of cosmopolitan import&q [..]

to do with everyone, everywhere

1. With regard to social psychology, reference: psychological universal. 2. With regard to language, reference: language universal.

alveltlekh

1 in the civil law of Louisiana a : encompassing or burdening all of one's property esp. causa mortis [granted him a usufruct] see also universal legacy at legacy compare universal title at title [..]

(n) a behavioral convention or pattern characteristic of all members of a particular culture or of all human beings(adj) of worldwide scope or applicability(n) (logic) a proposition that asserts somet [..]

Something that exists in every culture.

With regards to thermostats, this term implies compatibility with the vast majority of the most typical systems that exist in the marketplace.  

Any feature or property which holds for all languages. These are few and far between though near-universals, i.e. those which are good for the vast majority of languages, are more common and often mor [..]

Pertaining to a single schema for global cultural evolution; contrasted with unilineal and multilineal evolution.