Gen Z

noun

ˈjen-ˈzē 

: generation z

Gen Z is as nuanced and complex as every generation before them … In fact, they are considered to be the most diverse and multicultural generation ever.

—Andrew Kelly and Guy Cierzan

Gen Z is incredibly media savvy, so the challenge for marketers is trying to connect with an audience that already knows every marketing trick in the book.

—Chirag Kulkarni

—often used before another noun

Gen Z activists are using social media to start movements and gather the momentum they need to make positive changes in the world.

—Savanna Smith

—often hyphenated in such use

Gen-Z students/consumers

Gen Zer

ˈjen-ˈzē-ər 

noun

or Gen-Zer

plural Gen Zers or Gen-Zers

… even the oldest Gen Zer was just a tween when the iPhone was released in 2007.

—Ryan Kelly

Though many tend to lump them together, millennials and Gen Zers are two very different cohorts.

—Chad Recchia

Examples of Gen Z in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gen Z may lead with flexibility, transparency, well-being, fast feedback, and social impact. — Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Gen Z watched their parents give everything to companies that laid them off by spreadsheet. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 29 June 2026

Gen Z is already more likely than older generations to use AI for therapy, medical advice, as well as for financial and investment decisions—unsurprising given that just over half of Gen Zers use AI at least weekly, according to an April survey from Gallup. — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 28 June 2026

Some are Internet-famous friends, like the chef Romily Newman, who, as Gen Z's version of Martha Stewart, looks great in a '50s-style toile dress. — Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 26 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Gen Z

• bens
• cleanse
• dens
• gens
• glens
• hens
• jens
• pens
• tens
• wrens
• zens
• cheyennes