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 millennials experienced leopard denim in the form of indie sleaze skinny jeans in the early 2000s Gen Z is taking the trend into a new direction with loose, slouchier fits. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 20 Dec. 2024

Though it was first founded in 1975, Hello Kitty toys are immensely popular among Gen Z — #HelloKitty has 3.4 million posts on TikTok, and 14.4 million on Instagram, the social-media haunts of Gen Z. Hello Kitty toys are also most popular among female consumers. —Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024

This ex-military force faces off against a gang of aggressive Gen Z trash-talkers who call them Boomer bush campers, an insult that neither Jack nor I understand. —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024

Vintage bathroom fixtures with character From spinning soap dispensers and dramatic drapes to conservatory showers, millennials and Gen Z seem to be under the influence of nostalgia when designing their dream bathrooms with fixtures that had previously been deemed outdated. —Sydney Gore, Architectural Digest, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above