Gen X

noun

ˈjen-ˈeks 

: generation x

Gen X managed to stretch adolescence beyond all previous limits: Its members started becoming adults earlier and finished becoming adults later.

—Jean M. Twenge

—often used before another noun

a Gen X celebrity

—often hyphenated in such use

… 'The Blair Witch Project,' a stealth blockbuster with clever Internet marketing and so much Gen-X appeal that it's spooking Hollywood.

—Newsweek

Gen Xer

ˈjen-ˈek-sər 

noun

or Gen-Xer

plural Gen Xers or Gen-Xers

… only about 56 percent of high-school seniors in 2015 went out on dates; for Boomers and Gen Xers, the number was about 85 percent.

—Jean M. Twenge

Like many Gen-Xers, I remember childhood as an uncomplicated time when the only thing you had to worry about was being home by dark.

—Bethany Young Hardy

Examples of Gen X in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Millennials and Gen X report rising age discrimination, especially in industries that prioritize younger talent. —Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025

Uranus in Virgo and Libra allowed Gen X to understand that there is no ideal way to be. —Lisa Stardust, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025

Here’s what the Gen Z teens said of the Gen X film. —Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025

Per Netflix, Gen X and Millennials made up a majority of the audience with 60% of viewers in the 35-64 demographic. —Katie Campione, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Gen X

• becks
• checks
• czechs
• decks
• dex
• ex
• flecks
• flex
• hex
• lex
• necks
• pecks