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

Brett Cooper has emerged as one of Gen Z’s leading conservative content creators and commentators. — Avery Stone, Time, 14 July 2026

Between 2025 and 2026, Gen Z’s excitement about AI dropped 14%, meanwhile feelings of anger rose 9%. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 14 July 2026

According to the memo, Too Faced will be heavily positioned toward Gen Z, while Origins will now have access to Deciem’s incubator model that has proved very successful for The Ordinary. — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 13 July 2026

Appointment television has become a rarity for Gen Z, which was raised on on-demand cartoons and can’t even identify a channel guide. — Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Gen Z

• bens
• cleanse
• dens
• gens
• glens
• hens
• jens
• pens
• tens
• wrens
• zens
• cheyennes