generic

adjective

ge·ner·ic | \ jə-ˈner-ik

, -ˈne-rik\

Definition of generic

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : relating to or characteristic of a whole group or class : general "Romantic comedy" is the generic term for such films.

b : not being or having a particular brand name generic drugs

c : having no particularly distinctive quality or application generic restaurants

2 : relating to or having the rank of a biological genus

generic

noun

Definition of generic (Entry 2 of 2)

: a product (such as a drug) that does not have a brand name

Other Words from generic Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about generic

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Synonyms & Antonyms for generic

Synonyms: Adjective

across-the-board, blanket, broad-brush, common, general, global, overall, universal

Antonyms: Adjective

individual, particular

Examples of generic in a Sentence

Adjective

“Flu” is sometimes used as a generic term for any illness caused by a virus. a love of big things—big cars, big meals—seems to be a generic trait of the American people

Noun

You can substitute generics for brand-name drugs on this health plan.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Outside the big-box brands, Co, Derek Lam, Rosetta Getty, Khaite and Adam Lippes are serving clothes that are smart, real and not at all generic. — Jessica Iredale, Town & Country, "When Did "Wearable" Become a Dirty Word in Fashion?," 27 Mar. 2019 Everything is as if carved out of wood, generic, childlike and artificial—disquieting if not futile. — Lance Esplund, WSJ, "‘Metaphysical Masterpieces 1916-1920: Morandi, Sironi, and Carrà’ Review: Every Object’s Mysteries," 16 Jan. 2019 But regulars Marvin Holmes and Vidal Cortes, among others, said the generic can't stand up to a true original like Teddy's. — Steve Lopez, latimes.com, "A beloved taco joint run by an 81-year-old matriarch may get crushed to make way for Chipotle," 5 May 2018 Defense Department’s generic response to the 1,000-plus comments challenging a crucial cloud-computing contract that Amazon is likely to win. — Seattle Times Staff, The Seattle Times, "Speaking of Business: Racial-bias training is ‘one step in a journey’," 20 Apr. 2018 Rooms are decidedly plain with little decor and generic, veneered furniture. — Laura Ratliff, Condé Nast Traveler, "35 Best Hotels in Dubai," 4 Mar. 2018 Three such prescription medications are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and recommended this season: oseltamivir, available as Tamiflu or a generic; zanamivir (Relenza); and peramivir (Rapivab). — Susan Scutti, CNN, "So you have the flu. Now what?," 26 Jan. 2018 Scott Gottlieb, who as head of the Food and Drug Administration sought to crack down on cigarette makers and speed the approval of generic medicines, is resigning from his post, the agency said. — Jennifer Maloney, WSJ, "FDA Chief Scott Gottlieb to Leave Agency," 5 Mar. 2019 Some competing virtual-reality devices have used a high-speed WiGig radio to transfer content, but Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 spec list includes a pretty generic 2x2 802.11ac wireless radio. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft launches HoloLens 2 with a strong business bent," 24 Feb. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Yet a few are particularly high, including on some generics, the cheaper alternative to branded accounting for nine out of 10 prescriptions filled in the U.S. — Jared S. Hopkins, WSJ, "Drugmakers Raise Prices on Hundreds of Medicines," 1 Jan. 2019 Plan B One-Step and its generics are made up of a single pill containing the full 1.5-milligram dose. — Natasha Lavender, SELF, "Here's How Emergency Contraception Actually Works," 1 Apr. 2019 Drug shortages have been on the rise in the United States — tripling from 2007 to 2012, according to the Brookings Institution — and generics are responsible for many of them. — Dylan Scott, Vox, "The Trump administration finally has one good idea to lower drug prices," 20 July 2018 Some of the research projects are for biosimilars, essentially generics for biologic drugs. — Denise Roland, WSJ, "King of Generics Pushes Into Biotech Drugs," 13 Feb. 2019 The government index tracks a set of medications including brand drugs and generics. — Christopher Rugaber, The Seattle Times, "AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s speech exaggerates border peril," 6 Feb. 2019 Gynecologists suspect that generics may not perfectly match brand-name formulations, and that the slight difference may be enough to cause breakthrough bleeding. — Amy Marturana, SELF, "12 Causes of Spotting and Breakthrough Bleeding," 28 Dec. 2018 Methadone is a decades-old generic that is very inexpensive. — Felice J. Freyer, BostonGlobe.com, "Five myths about medications to treat addiction," 7 June 2018 It's all rather low-rent and generic, not particularly distinguished by its overused Bayou setting. — Gary Goldstein, latimes.com, "Inspired by classic noir, 'Dead on Arrival' is aggressively uninspired," 22 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'generic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.