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

Perhaps the most significant shift Gen Z is bringing to the workplace is their view on mental health and boundaries. — Kent Ingle, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Fortune has reported that Gen Z has become an organizing force behind the national backlash, and that opposition has spread well beyond the small share of Americans who actually live near a data center. — Sasha Tuddenham, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2026

In addition, a lot of department stores are in malls, and as millennials and Gen Z are doing more online shopping or buying second-hand, most malls are seeing declining foot traffic. — Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 28 Oct. 2026

The report’s authors said Gen Z, the first generation to grow up with smartphones, isn’t far behind. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 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