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

Experts and Gen Z alike say that the younger generation still yearns for connection. —Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 13 June 2026

Despite growing up with the warnings of skin cancer, Gen Z is falling for the tanning craze that befalls most generations. —Sam Woodward, USA Today, 12 June 2026

In much the same way that Gen Z was a unique marketing puzzle as the first cohort weaned on the Internet, Gen Alpha is the first to be shaped by artificial intelligence, social media, and frictionless e-commerce. —Greg Petro, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

Gen Z, according to Cinema United, is the fastest-growing largest cinema-going population. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 11 June 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