generic

adjective

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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

Antonyms: Adjective

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 The violations cited sound all too familiar to the many 483 forms issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to a number of Indian pharmaceutical companies that make generic drugs for the U.S. market. — Dinesh Thakur, STAT, "India shouldn’t insist on ‘bridging trials’ in the middle of a pandemic," 8 Apr. 2021 Local pharmaceutical companies are also focused on manufacturing generic drugs. — Uwagbale Edward-ekpu, Quartz, "Why Africa doesn’t have its own Covid-19 vaccine," 2 Apr. 2021 This is a positive development for the company, and after the sale of the generic drugs business, Perrigo will become a consumer products company. — Trefis Team, Forbes, "Should You Buy Perrigo Stock Around $40?," 9 Mar. 2021 Many patent-free generic drugs are quite expensive. — Jacob S. Sherkow, STAT, "Reining in drug patents isn’t a silver bullet against high drug prices," 14 Mar. 2021 Sherman, who founded generic drugmaker Apotex Inc., and his wife, Honey, were found dead in their Toronto mansion on Dec. 15, 2017. — Rob Gillies, Star Tribune, "Toronto police have person of interest in billionaire deaths," 25 Nov. 2020 In her segment, Ruhle — who is also the senior business correspondent for NBC News — offers generic, bank-friendly advice, all of it framed by Chase’s logo, in a conversation with ESPN analyst and NBA alumnus Jay Williams. — Paul Farhi, Washington Post, "MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle filmed promotional spots for JPMorgan Chase — one of the banks she covers as a journalist," 14 Oct. 2020 The ruling could have broad implications for other generic-drug makers. — Susan Decker, Bloomberg.com, "A $75 Million Drug Sale Lands Teva a $235 Million Penalty," 2 Oct. 2020 This total was calculated after adjusting the prices down because of the prevalence of generic drugs in the U.S. market, according to the report. — Robert Davis, Washington Examiner, "Colorado Democrats lay out plan to reduce prescription drug prices," 9 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun In this context, terroir offers a way to distinguish the particular from the generic, the personal from the corporate, what is local and what could come from anywhere. — New York Times, "The Growers, Bakers and Beekeepers Embracing the Terroir of American Cities," 26 Mar. 2021 Amazon’s other healthcare ventures include an online pharmacy launched in November that ships insulin, asthma inhalers and other common generic or branded medications. — Dave Sebastian, WSJ, "Amazon to Offer Telehealth Service to Other Companies," 17 Mar. 2021 Wood Elemental is a three generic, one green Elemental creature who, on top of that already kind of steep casting cost, requires you to sacrifice any amount of untapped Forests. — Joe Parlock, Forbes, "I Tried To Make A Commander Deck With The Worst Card In ‘Magic: The Gathering’: Wood Elemental’s Pity Party Deck Tech," 11 Mar. 2021 Additionally, surveys have found that patients prefer branded products to generics, and 46% of patients have asked their provider to prescribe a brand name drug over a generic. — Misha Gajewski, Forbes, "Prescribing Brand Name Drugs Instead Of Generic Drugs Costs Medicare $1.7 Billion A Year, Study Finds," 2 Mar. 2021 The tech giant, which has long pursued its own health-care ambitions, launched an online pharmacy in November that will ship insulin, asthma inhalers and other common generic or branded medications. — Sebastian Herrera, WSJ, "Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan End Health-Care Venture Haven," 4 Jan. 2021 In fact, the difference between generic and after-rebate brand prices rose from $35 in 2006 to $153 in 2017. — Robin Feldman, STAT, "Make list price the touchstone for drug pricing across the supply chain," 23 Nov. 2020 Many patients suffer their worst complications because of an immune overreaction sometimes called a cytokine storm, and may benefit from dexamethasone, a cheap generic that calms these storms. — Jason Gale, Fortune, "Covid-19 scientists flag key immune function as a turning point in life threatening cases," 25 Sep. 2020 Many patients suffer their worst complications because of an immune overreaction sometimes called a cytokine storm, and may benefit from dexamethasone, a cheap generic that calms these storms. — Jason Gale, Fortune, "Covid-19 scientists flag key immune function as a turning point in life threatening cases," 25 Sep. 2020

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.