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

By 2030, Gen Z is expected to make up 30% of the U.S. workforce, according to Johns Hopkins University. —Bykelly Monahan, Fortune, 6 June 2024

In Gen Z, according to the latest surveys by Gallup, which has tracked LGBTQ+ identification for two decades, 1 in 5 adults identify as LGBTQ+, including 15% who identify as bisexual, 3% as lesbian, 2.6% as gay and 2.8% as transgender. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 6 June 2024

Contestants, Pop Culture Goes Beyond Gen Z The Ghost Trees of Chicago A Guide to Managing Covid This Summer Kendi is a vegan, a tall man with a gentle, serious nature. —Rachel Poser January Lavoy Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 4 June 2024

The company is catering to the tastes of Millennial and Gen Z candy lovers, as research shows most prefer pink lemonade treats, according to a press release. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 31 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above