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

Struggling with a lack of career opportunities, Gen Z is second-guessing the worth of pricey college degrees, which once promised them six-figure jobs. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025

The deeper issue is that young fan base — Gen Z, Gen Alphas, and the Millennials to some degree — anime is just an intrinsic part of their personality. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Oct. 2025

And just 13 percent of Gen Z said similar political views could persuade them to travel a greater distance for a date, whereas 14 percent of millennials said the same. —Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025

Gen Z has seen the steepest decline in credit scores of any age group this year as student loans repayments, a tough job market, high inflation and fewer opportunities to build credit early hurt young borrowers, according to the inaugural FICO Score Credit Insights Report. —Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 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