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ge·ner·ic | \ jə-ˈner-ik 
, -ˈne-rik \
, -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
nounDefinition of generic (Entry 2 of 2)
: a product (such as a drug) that does not have a brand name
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Other Words from generic
Adjective
generically \ jə-ˈner-i-k(ə-)lē , -ˈne-ri- \ adverb
, -ˈne-ri- \ adverbgenericness noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for generic
Synonyms: Adjective
Antonyms: Adjective
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective In just over a year, and with heavy reliance on VR instead of clay models, Team Edison pulled at the shape to get away from a more generic take on the crossover.
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Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "Watch out, Tesla—Ford gets serious with Mustang Mach-E electric crossover," 18 Nov. 2019 For a sample ballot, go to bexar.org/elections and click on generic sample ballot.
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Dylan Mcguinness, ExpressNews.com, "Early voting: What you need to know," 17 Oct. 2019 One of his biggest achievements has been speeding up generic drug approvals to a record pace.
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Washington Post, "Donald Trump Just Lost His Most Popular Bureaucrat," 20 Sep. 2019 Democrats led on the generic House ballot by a margin of 51 percent to 33 percent.
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The Washington Post, The Denver Post, "Republican poll shows overwhelming support for stricter gun control among suburban women," 19 Aug. 2019 Blabbermouth has the details and there are a bunch of frivolous claims in there, including one that says Ion Maiden resembles Iron Maiden’s generic-looking mobile game Legacy of the Beast.
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Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: Iron Maiden sues 3D Realms, Larian teases Baldur's Gate III," 31 May 2019 Gilead's patent will expire next year, opening the U.S. market to a generic version.
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Lenny Bernstein, chicagotribune.com, "CDC pushes efforts to wipe out HIV amid stalled progress," 4 Dec. 2019 Earlier this year, Lilly announced plans to release a lower-price generic version of its insulin drug Humalog through a subsidiary.
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Shari Rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, "Lilly to announce $400M investment in Indianapolis manufacturing along with new jobs," 20 Nov. 2019 In other countries, generic versions of Truvada sell for as little as $60 a year.
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New York Times, "Who Owns H.I.V.-Prevention Drugs? The Taxpayers, U.S. Says," 8 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Neurontin and related generics have long been considered nonaddictive and are not tracked as closely by regulators.
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Matthew Perrone, USA TODAY, "FDA adds warning labels to Lyrica, other nerve drugs over opioid concerns," 21 Dec. 2019 In fact, a creative team including alums of elaborate genre shows like The Terror and Black Sails yields costumes, backdrops and ghouls that look impeccable, if sometimes a touch generic.
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Judy Berman, Time, "Netflix’s The Witcher Is the Latest Disaster in a Year of Terrible Post-Game of Thrones Fantasy TV," 20 Dec. 2019 Everything here, however, feels generic -- at least for those who aren't immersed in the source -- without forging much of a bond with the characters.
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Brian Lowry, CNN, "'The Witcher' swings into action as a weak 'Game of Thrones' wannabe," 20 Dec. 2019 The country’s sprawling pharmaceutical industry is fueled by cheap generics.
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Emily Schmall And Claire Galofaro Dec. 15, SFChronicle.com, "‘Other opioid crisis’ raging globally unburdened by controls," 15 Dec. 2019 Providers are trying to reduce overuse of expensive diagnostic equipment and prescribe generics wherever possible.
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Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, "Column: There’s enormous waste in U.S. healthcare, so why isn’t anyone doing anything about it?," 8 Oct. 2019 That index includes lower-cost generic drugs, which account for 90% of prescriptions filled in the U.S. Prices for generics have been declining under pressure from big drug distributors.
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San Diego Union-Tribune, "AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s twisted reality on guns, environment," 22 Sep. 2019 The plan sets an ambitious goal of cutting Medicare drug prices by 70 percent for brand-name drugs and 30 percent for generics through a series of reforms.
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NBC News, "Warren's plan to pay for 'Medicare for All': $20.5 trillion in new spending, taxes on the rich and corporations," 1 Nov. 2019 According to its website, Teva is the leading generics company in North America, where one of every nine prescriptions in the United States and one of every six generic prescriptions in Canada is filled with a Teva product.
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The Enquirer, Cincinnati.com, "Opioid settlement: What to know about Teva Pharmaceutical Industries," 21 Oct. 2019
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for generic
generic
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of generic
(Entry 1 of 2)
: 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
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of generic (Entry 2 of 2)
: a product (such as a drug) that is not sold or made under a particular brand name : a generic product
See the full definition for generic in the English Language Learners Dictionary
generic
adjectivege·ner·ic | \ jə-ˈner-ik \
\Medical Definition of generic
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
Other Words from generic
generically \ -i-k(ə-)lē \ adverb
\ adverbgeneric
nounMedical Definition of generic (Entry 2 of 2)
: a generic drug
—usually used in plural
generic
adjectivege·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
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Time Traveler for generic
The first known use of generic was in 1676
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