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

Gen Z isn’t reading the way previous generations have. —Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 25 Feb. 2026

As artificial intelligence reshapes traditional career paths, more people—especially Gen Z—are turning to entrepreneurship in hopes of becoming their own bosses. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026

For millennials who grew up with skinny jeans as a staple and Gen Z-ers who abandoned the fit during the pandemic, only to rediscover it as a trend item, the idea of denim without stretch feels almost unimaginable. —Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 24 Feb. 2026

Alysa Liu is Gen Z’s current favorite role model. —Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 24 Feb. 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