Gen Z

noun

ˈjen-ˈzē 

: generation z

Gen Z is as nuanced and complex as every generation before them … In fact, they are considered to be the most diverse and multicultural generation ever.

—Andrew Kelly and Guy Cierzan

Gen Z is incredibly media savvy, so the challenge for marketers is trying to connect with an audience that already knows every marketing trick in the book.

—Chirag Kulkarni

—often used before another noun

Gen Z activists are using social media to start movements and gather the momentum they need to make positive changes in the world.

—Savanna Smith

—often hyphenated in such use

Gen-Z students/consumers

Gen Zer

ˈjen-ˈzē-ər 

noun

or Gen-Zer

plural Gen Zers or Gen-Zers

… even the oldest Gen Zer was just a tween when the iPhone was released in 2007.

—Ryan Kelly

Though many tend to lump them together, millennials and Gen Zers are two very different cohorts.

—Chad Recchia

Examples of Gen Z in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While 50 percent of Baby Boomers think retirement should occur between ages 65 and 69, only 23 percent of Gen Z share this view. —David Faris, Newsweek, 19 Jan. 2025

So, too, did TikTok lean into our era’s nostalgia-dominant pop culture, breathing life into long lost (or so Gen Z may think) classics from acts like Fleetwood Mac, Boney M., Billy Joel, and even Aly & AJ. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 18 Jan. 2025

The result is a syrupy cocktail of millennial nostalgia and Gen Z irony that generates free advertising via memes, TikTok reactions, and social media discourse. —Boutayna Chokrane, WIRED, 18 Jan. 2025

With softer shoulders and pleated carrot pants, the look feels more current and perfect for Gen Z, as in this Luigi Bianchi flannel number. —Alex Badia, WWD, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above