ge·ner·ic
jə-ˈner-ik 
-ˈne-rik
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
genericness
noun
: a product (such as a drug) that does not have a brand name
Synonyms
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
Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 17 Apr. 2024
As charming as Gupta is onscreen, the writing rarely transcends a generic portrait of adolescent angst.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
No staff members or individuals are listed on the website, and the only available contact information is a generic email, which did not respond to a request for comment.
—Mathew Miranda, Sacramento Bee, 15 Apr. 2024
Their complaints went viral, sparking a debate over whether Momofuku — or anyone — should be able to own the trademark of the generic sounding chile or chili crunch.
—Mae Anderson, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
Society was not going to use the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery to share generic posts and act as if the knee of this country hasn’t been on the necks of Black artists and civilians for decades.
—Paul Grein, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2024
This refers to the period of time in which a generic company cannot use study data generated by brand-name manufacturers to win regulatory approval to sell a medicine.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 11 Apr. 2024
And until the closures that happened in January, visitors at the American Museum of Natural History could see generic mannequins of Native men and women stoically conveying timeless primitiveness.
—Kathleen Duval, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
His character has a generic name, Kid, that marks him as a man who's never been able to find his center.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
Indrani Sen, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2024
By discontinuing the brand-name inhaler but continuing to earn money from the authorized generic, GSK will be able to avoid paying a penalty.
—Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 5 Jan. 2024
In some countries, these generics become available sooner than in others due to varying patent laws and regulations.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
These drugs are generally covered by insurance, but Ro prescribes them as generics that are cheap enough to pay for out of pocket either way.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2024
But for brand-name medications that aren’t available as generics—because a pharmaceutical company has patented the drug—prices can run high.
—Julia Ingram, Verywell Health, 12 Feb. 2024
The authorized generic, fluticasone, would be the same product, but without the branding and history of price increases that would leave the medicine vulnerable to large rebates to Medicaid.
—Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024
Many of the affected drugs are generics—medications whose patent and exclusivity have expired, meaning any company can legally manufacture them.
—Shi En Kim, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2023
Bryce Cohen has asthma and wasn't able to make an easy switch to the new generic of the medicine Flovent, his mother said.
—Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Both versions have the same oddly generic crossover shape, an 800-volt architecture, and all-wheel drive.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 17 Apr. 2024
As charming as Gupta is onscreen, the writing rarely transcends a generic portrait of adolescent angst.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
No staff members or individuals are listed on the website, and the only available contact information is a generic email, which did not respond to a request for comment.
—Mathew Miranda, Sacramento Bee, 15 Apr. 2024
Their complaints went viral, sparking a debate over whether Momofuku — or anyone — should be able to own the trademark of the generic sounding chile or chili crunch.
—Mae Anderson, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
Society was not going to use the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery to share generic posts and act as if the knee of this country hasn’t been on the necks of Black artists and civilians for decades.
—Paul Grein, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2024
This refers to the period of time in which a generic company cannot use study data generated by brand-name manufacturers to win regulatory approval to sell a medicine.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 11 Apr. 2024
And until the closures that happened in January, visitors at the American Museum of Natural History could see generic mannequins of Native men and women stoically conveying timeless primitiveness.
—Kathleen Duval, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
His character has a generic name, Kid, that marks him as a man who's never been able to find his center.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Dozens of other srirachas have flooded the market amid the original’s scarcity, including versions from the likes of Texas Pete and Roland’s and generics from various supermarket chains.
—Indrani Sen, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2024
By discontinuing the brand-name inhaler but continuing to earn money from the authorized generic, GSK will be able to avoid paying a penalty.
—Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 5 Jan. 2024
In some countries, these generics become available sooner than in others due to varying patent laws and regulations.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
These drugs are generally covered by insurance, but Ro prescribes them as generics that are cheap enough to pay for out of pocket either way.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2024
But for brand-name medications that aren’t available as generics—because a pharmaceutical company has patented the drug—prices can run high.
—Julia Ingram, Verywell Health, 12 Feb. 2024
The authorized generic, fluticasone, would be the same product, but without the branding and history of price increases that would leave the medicine vulnerable to large rebates to Medicaid.
—Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024
Many of the affected drugs are generics—medications whose patent and exclusivity have expired, meaning any company can legally manufacture them.
—Shi En Kim, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2023
Bryce Cohen has asthma and wasn't able to make an easy switch to the new generic of the medicine Flovent, his mother said.
—Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'generic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near generic
Cite this Entry
“Generic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/generic. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
generic
1 of 2 adjective
ge·ner·ic
jə-ˈner-ik
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
generic
2 of 2 noun
: a generic drug
—usually used in plural
Legal Definition
generic
adjective
ge·ner·ic
jə-ˈner-ik
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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