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

Social media discourse and the inevitable backlash aside, Levy's first book is an amusing, if uneven, take on growing up white, privileged, and Gen Z, the first generation to completely be born after the existence of the internet. —Leland Cheuk, NPR, 14 May 2024

On the flip side, just 8% of Gen Z are extremely confident about their financial situation, compared to 13% of millennials at their age. —Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 14 May 2024

There are many theories behind the spike in this figure, with blame being leveled at both the COVID-19 pandemic and Gen Z being the first generation to grow up immersed in smartphones and social media. —Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 13 May 2024

Speaking Monday morning about America's impending decision between main party candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the Republican panelist urged Gen Z voters to come around on Biden — despite the demographic's issues with his handling of Israel's attacks on Palestine. —EW.com, 13 May 2024

And the debt-to-income ratio is 4 percentage points higher for Gen Z than millennials, coming in at 16.05% compared with 11.76%, the credit bureau found. —Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 13 May 2024

Throughout the first two seasons, much of the drama — and delight — is in seeing Ava puncture Deborah’s carefully lacquered facade with her Gen Z earnestness and sharp wit. —J Wortham, New York Times, 12 May 2024

Well, the casual observer will soon see that, yes, the Gen Z and Millennial servers do have even more tattoos than most of their peers, some of them of the teardrop-on-the-face variety. —The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 10 May 2024

All demographics participate, though the elders sustain similar impulses on Facebook, now Meta, now metabolized by millennials and Gen Z into an antique or filial address book, a distant dystopia. —Harmony Holiday, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above