: 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 nounJean M. Twengea 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
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
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
Bethany Young Hardy
Examples of Gen X in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Baby boomers and Gen X are wildly underprepared for retirement on the whole, according to many surveys and studies.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
As more and more corporations relax degree requirements, and with Boomers delaying retirement and Gen X expected to follow suit, today’s workforce spans multiple generations and professional stages.
—Ebony Flake, Essence, 2 Apr. 2024
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the box-office gold standard for this formula, but almost every beloved Gen X or Millennial media property has done it—many of them multiple times—including sci-fi works such as Alien and The Terminator, and horror-fests such as Scream and Halloween.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2024
This misperception is impacting screening rates as less than half (44%) of Gen X women who are eligible for screening have undergone colonoscopies.
—Lipi Roy, Md, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
That’s 8% higher compared to a year ago, and a bigger jump than other generations—millennials saw a 2% increase, Gen X saw a 3% increase, and the number of boomers who are happy at their jobs dipped 2%.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024
Many Gen X and Gen Z families also have alphas — the oldest zoomers just hit the median age of first birth in the US, while the youngest Xers are still several years from menopause — but millennial parents have defined the genre.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Despite being the most vocal generation yet, new research from LinkedIn suggests that Gen Z’s confidence doesn’t extend to talking with the baby boomer and Gen X coworkers on their team.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 21 Mar. 2024
When the front-runner, Caroline Bennett, drops out, two women emerge in her place: the wry Gen X senator Felicity Walker (Hettienne Park) and the millennial waitress turned democratic socialist Althea Abdi (Tala Ashe).
—Amanda Hess, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
As more and more corporations relax degree requirements, and with Boomers delaying retirement and Gen X expected to follow suit, today’s workforce spans multiple generations and professional stages.
—Ebony Flake, Essence, 2 Apr. 2024
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the box-office gold standard for this formula, but almost every beloved Gen X or Millennial media property has done it—many of them multiple times—including sci-fi works such as Alien and The Terminator, and horror-fests such as Scream and Halloween.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2024
This misperception is impacting screening rates as less than half (44%) of Gen X women who are eligible for screening have undergone colonoscopies.
—Lipi Roy, Md, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
That’s 8% higher compared to a year ago, and a bigger jump than other generations—millennials saw a 2% increase, Gen X saw a 3% increase, and the number of boomers who are happy at their jobs dipped 2%.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024
Many Gen X and Gen Z families also have alphas — the oldest zoomers just hit the median age of first birth in the US, while the youngest Xers are still several years from menopause — but millennial parents have defined the genre.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Despite being the most vocal generation yet, new research from LinkedIn suggests that Gen Z’s confidence doesn’t extend to talking with the baby boomer and Gen X coworkers on their team.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 21 Mar. 2024
When the front-runner, Caroline Bennett, drops out, two women emerge in her place: the wry Gen X senator Felicity Walker (Hettienne Park) and the millennial waitress turned democratic socialist Althea Abdi (Tala Ashe).
—Amanda Hess, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Gen X.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1992, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to Gen X
Dictionary Entries Near Gen X
Cite this Entry
“Gen X.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gen%20X. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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