Generation X

noun

: the generation of people born in the 1960s and 1970s
If you're a member of Generation X, chances are you may be feeling that "Reality Bites" when it comes to your retirement planning.Lorie Konish
The younger portion of the network's 12-to-34-year-old target audience … exhibited different tastes and sensibilities from the post-baby boom Generation X.Meg James
compare generation y, generation z
Generation Xer noun

Examples of Generation X in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On the upside, women are significantly more likely to get a collect degree, according to the report -- nearly 44% of millennial women compared to 28% of Generation X women. Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 30 Nov. 2023 However, incarceration rates fell to 69.7 women in prison per 100,000 between 2019 and 2021 compared to 86 per 100,000 when Generation X women were young adults between 1999 and 2001. Arianna Johnson, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 The video for that song, featuring models marching around a high school classroom in teddies and a snare drum filled with milk, become a token of Generation X pop culture. Alex Williams, New York Times, 4 July 2023 Among the generations, millennials were the least tolerant of toxic workplaces, followed by Generation X workers. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2023 Millennial and Generation X households with children are the biggest fans of Valentine’s sugar candy, according to IRI, a global market research firm. Kim Severson, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2023 This is a sweeping legacy of baby boomers and, to an extent, their Generation X offspring. Malina Saval, Variety, 6 Sep. 2022 Last year, for instance, guitar slinger Samantha Fish of Kansas City, Missouri, achieved something that the current biggest artist in blues – Generation X virtuoso Joe Bonamassa – has never been able to. Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Nov. 2020 Baby Boomers hold the majority of U.S. wealth, with $59.6 trillion, twice Generation X’s $28.5 trillion and more than 10 times Millennials’ $5.2 trillion. Ben Steverman, Bloomberg.com, 8 Oct. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Generation 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

1987, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Generation X was in 1987

Dictionary Entries Near Generation X

Cite this Entry

“Generation X.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Generation%20X. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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