: 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 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But that still means half of all Gen X accounts had less than that amount. Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025 Baby Boomers hold an average of about $257,000, while Gen X workers are closer to $205,000. Hillary Stalker, Nashville Tennessean, 4 Sep. 2025 Meanwhile, just 25% of graduates in previous years, such as their millennial and Gen X predecessors, struggled to land work after college. Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2025 So, ask your family for some LinkedIn leads, because your Baby Boomer or Gen X parents will likely know someone who knows someone who’d be more than happy to recommend you for the job. Colleen Batchelder, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Gen X

Word History

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Gen X was in 1992

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gen X.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gen%20X. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!