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

Still, if Gen Alpha has similar tastes to Gen Z, the show will win over a new generation of kids while offering a Lisa Frank-esque idea of what high school could be. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

Last year Gen Z spent twice as much on art compared to every other generation, according to recent data from Swiss bank UBS—and a fine arts expert says their buying habits are reshaping the market. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026

Gen Z favored Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Fendi, while millennials gravitated toward Gucci, Dior and Saint Laurent. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026

It’s driven not by ideology, but by Gen Z, a generation that didn’t experience Soviet realities, yet grew up surrounded by its visual aesthetic. — Yulia Denisyuk, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Oct. 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