genre

noun

ˈzhän-rə How to pronounce genre (audio)
ˈzhäⁿ-;
ˈzhäⁿr;
ˈjän-rə
1
: a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content
a classic of the gothic novel genre
2
: kind, sort
3
: painting that depicts scenes or events from everyday life usually realistically

Did you know?

Genre, as you might guess from the way it sounds, comes straight from French, a language based on Latin. It's closely related to genus, a word you may have encountered in biology class. Both words contain the gen- root because they indicate that everything in a particular category (a genre or a genus) belongs to the same "family" and thus has the same origins. So the main genres of classical music would include symphonies, sonatas, and opera, and the major genres of literature would include novels, short stories, poetry, and drama. But within the category of novels, we could also say that detective novels, sci-fi novels, romance novels, and young-adult novels are separate genres.

Examples of genre in a Sentence

In genre fiction there is an implied contract between writer and reader that justice of a kind will be exacted; "good" may not always triumph over "evil," but the distinction between the two must be honored. Joyce Carol Oates, New York Review of Books, 14 Aug. 2003
One of the first marketers outside of hip-hop to recognize the power of the genre …  . he first sent models sashaying down the runway in 1991 in hip-hop chic, with sneakers and chunky gold chains … Johnnie L. Roberts, Newsweek, 2 Sept. 2002
Even the local Catholic archdiocesan weekly, hardly an exciting genre, offers a more provocative sampling of opinion on its editorial page. Walker Percy, "New Orleans Mon Amour," 1968, in Signposts in a Strange Land1991
This book is a classic of the mystery genre. the novel's hero is of a different genre than the traditional kind
Recent Examples on the Web His novels often make fun of genres, or else invent them. Maya Binyam, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 The result is a trippy journey through multiple realities that sends the characters careening across genres and time periods. Shania Russell, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2024 Find your favorite genre: These four new memoirs invite us to sit with the pleasures and pains of family. Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 Throughout her five decade career on stage and screen, Betty Buckley has made a name for herself across several genres. Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 It’s got to be layered with trappings skimmed off the top of assorted genres. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 But no amount of time away from the sci-fi world could ever threaten his place as a preeminent master of the genre. Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 6 Mar. 2024 Although films haven’t been announced, there are themes and genres for certain dates. Jody MacE, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024 Also, back then the show still attempted to cover all genres on the telecast, including jazz, classical and gospel. Paul Grein, Billboard, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'genre.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, kind, gender — more at gender

First Known Use

1770, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of genre was in 1770

Dictionary Entries Near genre

Cite this Entry

“Genre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genre. Accessed 14 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

genre

noun
ˈzhän-rə How to pronounce genre (audio)
ˈzhäŋ-,
ˈjän-rə
: a particular type or category of literary, musical, or artistic composition
Etymology

French

More from Merriam-Webster on genre

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