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

For their casual stroll around town, Shayk opted for controversial Gen Z-forward leather skinny jeans and an oversized leather bomber. —Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 13 Jan. 2026

Gen Z, Martin says, are particularly more likely to be multi-sport than Gen Xers. —Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 13 Jan. 2026

Turns out, Storrie—who is very much Gen Z—fully embraced a makeup brands we Millennials have been swearing by for years. —Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 12 Jan. 2026

The series, which garnered extreme fanfare for years, remains one of the most vital shows for Gen Z, showcasing a family living in Staten Island with connections to the mafia. —Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 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