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

Earlier this year, the Times reported that Gen Z is skittish about opening bar tabs. —Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025

Part of Gen Z’s draw to the comments section is its participatory and generative nature. —Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2025

More than 17 million people in China reported owning exotic pets in 2024, with the majority of these owners being Gen Z, according to data obtained by the Chinese state news agency Xinhua. —Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 18 Dec. 2025

When looking at median pay adjusted for inflation, Gen Z is faring better than previous generations at their age, according to a Pew Research Center report in 2024. —Nino Paoli, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025

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