Gen Y

1 of 2

noun

ˈjen-ˈwī 

: generation y

These kids have expensive tastes. Gen Y came of age in an era of unprecedented affluence, and its members were reared by indulgent boomer parents.

—Keith Haughton

—often used before another noun

About 3.5 million Gen Y drivers get their license each year.

—Daren Fonda

—often hyphenated in such use

… blatant product placement turns off Gen-Y viewers who are offended by brand mentions.

—Joanne Ostrow

Gen Yer

ˈjen-ˈwī-ər 

noun

or Gen-Yer

plural Gen Yers or Gen-Yers

Gen Yers have plenty to be exercised about. They're inheriting an economy in which many of the things their parents took for granted are evaporating …

—Michelle Conlin

The debts of today's Gen Yers are bigger ($26,000 in average student loans, up from $10,000 in 1985).

—Ted Rall

-geny

2 of 2

noun combining form

: generation : production

phylogeny

Examples of Gen Y in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Gen Y contingent accentuated that split, with 25% positive and 21% negative, while Gen X went even further, with 20% positive and just 13% negative. — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 8 July 2026

This is especially true for millennials, also known as Gen Y, who are between 30 and 45 years old (born between 1981 and 1996). — Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026

The selection is an indication of Gen Y’s and Gen Z’s interest in buying and donating secondhand clothing. — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 26 Nov. 2025

Now, however, the baby boomers sit atop the market, dethroning Gen Y (also called millennials). — Rosalind Bowling, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun combining form

Greek -geneia act of being born, from -genēs born — more at -gen

First Known Use

Noun

1994, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Gen Y

• apply
• awry
• belie
• bely
• bigeye
• bonsai
• buckeye
• comply
• coxae
• decry
• defy
• deny