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

Out back, on a stately patio above a sprawling garden overlooking the Potomac, Kalshi's Tarek Mansour snaps a selfie with John Kiriakou, the former CIA whistleblower who Gen Z has recently made viral on TikTok. —Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 25 Apr. 2026

Much of Gen Z missed out on pivotal years in the classroom or office during the pandemic, impacting their ability to socialize. —Rachel Hale, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026

The number of Bank of America customers selling secondhand clothes increased 16% year over year in March, according to the report, and Gen Z made up 41% of sellers selling their clothes secondhand so far this year. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026

Members of Gen Z, who are roughly between 15 and 30 years old, may also feel a stronger connection to their childhood homes. —Tanya D. Marsh, The Conversation, 24 Apr. 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