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

Read Article > Nov 7 Rebecca Jennings Among the many questions that will be sure to plague Democrats in the months following Kamala Harris’s defeat in the 2024 presidential election: What is happening with Gen Z men? —Vox Staff, Vox, 6 Nov. 2024

More than 80% of all voters HeadCount has registered this year are Gen Z or Millennials. —Thania Garcia, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024

Additionally, a poll by the Alliance for Black Equality conducted from October 15-19 revealed that 35 percent of Gen Z Black men support Trump—the highest among Black voters surveyed. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

In recent months, the organization has hosted a series of live music events featuring popular Mexican music groups that resonate with Gen Z, Mexican American audiences. —Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above