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

The conversation is also being shaped by Gen Z colleagues, who are often more vocal about boundaries and wellbeing at work. —Andrew Fennell, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025

Here are the five ways Gen Z has changed the business world forever. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025

The changing behaviors, norms and expectations for Gen Z and Gen Alpha will radically influence the evolution of entertainment in the coming years, Nyman predicts. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 8 Aug. 2025

There are some clever nods to Gen Z, Gen X, and Boomers that will make adults chuckle. —Katie Grant, Parents, 7 Aug. 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