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

Hunter scored two major settlements ahead of the trial: $270 million from Purdue Pharma and another $85 million from Teva Pharmaceuticals, one of the world's largest makers of generic drugs. — Wayne Drash, CNN, "Expert witness: Johnson & Johnson's role in opioid crisis may be 'worse' than Purdue's," 11 June 2019 But Enbrel, which earned Pfizer $2.1 billion in 2018, now faces generic competition. — Author: Christopher Rowland, Anchorage Daily News, "Pfizer had clues its blockbuster drug could prevent Alzheimer’s. Why didn’t it tell the world?," 5 June 2019 But Enbrel, which earned Pfizer $2.1 billion in 2018, now faces generic competition. — Christopher Rowland, Washington Post, "Pfizer had clues its blockbuster drug could prevent Alzheimer’s. Why didn’t it tell the world?," 4 June 2019 But Enbrel, which earned Pfizer $2.1 billion in 2018, now faces generic competition. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "Pfizer kept quiet about drug’s new Alzheimer’s potential," 4 June 2019 The maker of Viagra and the advanced breast cancer drug Ibrance has been dealing for several years with declining revenue as patents expired and generic competition began for a series of big-selling drugs, as have many other drugmakers. — Linda A. Johnson, The Seattle Times, "Drugmaker Pfizer’s CEO Read to be replaced by COO Bourla," 1 Oct. 2018 For example, some people have better luck with micronized tretinoin (Retin-A Micro or micronized generic tretinoin) because it's formulated in a way that allows for smaller doses of medication to be delivered to the skin at a time. — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, "Can People With Sensitive Skin Be in the Retinol Club, Too?," 30 Apr. 2019 Not airbrushed, stick-thin women who all look the same and fit into the generic box of Eurocentric beauty standards. — Maya Allen, Marie Claire, "20 Inspiring Beauty Instagram Accounts Led by Women of Color," 29 Apr. 2019 And currently at least five manufacturers of the generic drug are short-stocked, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "There’s an Anxiety Drug Shortage—Here’s What You Need to Know," 11 Feb. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

These are drugs that have long been available under pricey brand names but were difficult to approve as generics because of complex means of administration, like nose sprays or injections. — Thomas M. Burton, WSJ, "FDA Approves Teva’s Generic Version of EpiPen Injector," 16 Aug. 2018 By delaying development of generics, drugmakers can maintain their monopolies and keep prices high. — Sydney Lupkin — Kaiser Health News, STAT, "Drug makers blamed for blocking generics have jacked up prices and cost U.S. billions," 23 May 2018 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

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.