generic

adjective ge·ner·ic \ jə-ˈner-ik , -ˈne-rik \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Examples: generic in a Sentence

Definition of generic

1 a : 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

—

generically

play \jə-ˈner-i-k(ə-)lē, -ˈne-ri-\ adverb

—

genericness

noun

See generic defined for English-language learners

See generic defined for kids

Examples of generic in a Sentence

“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

Recent Examples of generic from the Web

So far, polling suggests that a generic Democrat would beat Trump, with the latest putting their chances at 44 to 36 percent.

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "Barack Obama Is Quietly Getting into the 2020 Race," 11 June 2018
Better to invest in a mutual fund that holds a generic basket of equities and saves on licensing expenses.

— william a. birdthistle and daniel j. hemel, WSJ, "Next Stop for Mutual-Fund Fees: Zero," 10 June 2018
Black Desert, on the other hand, looks like an extremely generic fantasy MMO that will also be coming to Xbox before other consoles.

— kyle orland, Ars Technica, "Microsoft pushes exclusives, premieres at pre-E3 press conference," 10 June 2018
Tiger Woods had two forms of painkillers in his system, including the generic brand of Vicodin, when passed out in his car last August.

— dave hyde, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Hyde: A good step in the opioid crisis | Commentary," 7 June 2018
In macOS Mojave and iOS 12, Safari will scrub much of this data, exposing only generic configuration information and default fonts.

— lily hay newman, WIRED, "Apple Just Made Safari the Good Privacy Browser," 4 June 2018
That’s a good problem to have because any generic Democrat can beat sorry Scott Walker.

— patrick marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The huge Democratic field to challenge Scott Walker is sign of enthusiasm and an obstacle," 2 June 2018
Furniture had been removed from the property, and calls to the restaurant were directed to a generic voicemail box.

— maggie menderski, The Courier-Journal, "Birracibo Italian restaurant closes at Fourth Street Live after 2 years," 30 May 2018
There's virtually no reason to buy the name brand if a generic is available.

— The Motley Fool, "Boost your income: 27 things you're probably wasting your money on right now," 4 May 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.

Origin and Etymology of generic

French générique, from Latin gener-, genus birth, kind, class

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1676

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

generic Synonyms

Other Pharmacology Terms

anodyne, cathartic, emetic, emollient, liniment, paregoric, poultice, purgative, soporific, spectrum

generic

noun

Definition of generic

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

See generic defined for English-language learners

Examples of generic in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of generic from the Web

Public quality standards play an important role in facilitating the entry of multiple generics into the market once a product’s patent protection expires.

— michael eisenstein, Scientific American, "The Little-known History and Global Future of Quality Medicines," 31 May 2018
Drug Makers Though the tariffs target Chinese drug makers, those on the losing side may be American pharmaceutical companies that make generics such as Mylan NV.

— Bloomberg.com, "Trump’s Scattergun Tariff List Sends China Companies Scrambling," 4 Apr. 2018
The revenge story and the political conspiracy story don’t jell, and al-Makdasi’s larger plot feels generic and tacked on.

— mike hale, New York Times, "Review: ‘Fauda’ Returns on Netflix, Guns Blazing," 23 May 2018
Some have established a hybrid tier with some generics and some brand name drugs.

— michael hiltzik, latimes.com, "Medicare's stealth price hike: Seniors are paying more for generics even though the drug prices haven't increased," 23 May 2018
Benzocaine products are sold as gels, sprays, ointments, solutions and lozenges under brand names Anbesol, Baby Orajel, Cepacol, Chloraseptic, Hurricaine, Orabase, Orajel and Topex and as store brands and generics.

— jen christensen, CNN, "FDA warns that benzocaine teething products aren't safe for children," 23 May 2018
The products--sold under brand names like Orajel and Chloraseptic, as well as store brands and generics--are often used for relief from sore throats, canker sores and other oral irritations, according to the FDA.

— laura mcknight, NOLA.com, "Teething gels pose 'serious risk' to babies, FDA warns," 23 May 2018
Importation could bring down the price of some generics and off-patent drugs by increasing competition, suggested Ameet Sarpatwari, a lawyer and epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School who studies drug pricing.

— shefali luthra, Scientific American, "Vermont Legislators Pass Law Allowing Drug Imports," 19 May 2018
Aimovig’s price is much higher than the inexpensive generics currently used to treat migraines, raising questions about how insurers will handle it.

— sumathi reddy, WSJ, "New Migraine Drugs Offer Hope to Sufferers," 18 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of generic

derivative of ¹generic

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1967

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Pharmacology Terms

anodyne, cathartic, emetic, emollient, liniment, paregoric, poultice, purgative, soporific, spectrum

GENERIC Defined for English Language Learners

generic

adjective

Definition of generic for English Language Learners

: of or relating to a whole group or class
: not sold or made under a particular brand name
biology : of or relating to a genus

generic

noun

Definition of generic for English Language Learners

: a product (such as a drug) that is not sold or made under a particular brand name : a generic product

Medical Dictionary

generic

adjective ge·ner·ic \ jə-ˈner-ik \

medical Definition of generic

1 : not protected by trademark registration : nonproprietary

nylon and aspirin are generic names

—used especially in trademark law

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

—

generically

play \-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

generic

noun

medical Definition of generic

: a generic drug —usually used in plural

Law Dictionary

generic

adjective ge·ner·ic \ jə-ˈner-ik \

legal Definition of generic

1 : common or descriptive and not entitled to trademark protection : nonproprietary

the generic name of a drug

2 : having a nonproprietary name

generic drugs

Learn More about generic

See words that rhyme with generic Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for generic Spanish Central: Translation of generic Nglish: Translation of generic for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of generic for Arabic speakers

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generic

Definition of generic

generically

genericness

Examples of generic in a Sentence

Recent Examples of generic from the Web

Origin and Etymology of generic

generic Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Related Words

Other Pharmacology Terms

generic

Definition of generic

Examples of generic in a Sentence

Recent Examples of generic from the Web

Origin and Etymology of generic

Other Pharmacology Terms

GENERIC Defined for English Language Learners

generic

Definition of generic for English Language Learners

generic

Definition of generic for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

generic

medical Definition of generic

generically

generic

medical Definition of generic

Law Dictionary

generic

legal Definition of generic

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