next-generation

adjective

next-gen·​er·​a·​tion ˈnekst-ˌje-nə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce next-generation (audio)
variants or less commonly next generation
: of or relating to a potential, forthcoming, or brand-new version of an existing product or technology : next-gen
The older hardware companies don't have the field to themselves. They're being challenged by waves of start-ups with next-generation technology.Bethany McLean
The finding has added fuel to a long-standing dispute over the Navy's next-generation sonar technology—a system that environmentalists say poses grave risks to marine mammals.David Kohn
Mr. [Lewis] Dale [General Motor's director of public policy] said the world's largest automaker spent $1 billion on electric vehicle and fuel cell research and prototype production in the past decade. He said GM doesn't want to make just 50,000 next generation vehicles, but rather sell millions.Mike Pare

Examples of next-generation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The firm, which was founded in 2022, will utilize the funding to begin serial turbine production, refine its AI control algorithms, and develop next-generation models for diverse environments. Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2025 Trends are predicted, technology is analyzed and future regulations are considered as automakers set off to make a new or next-generation model. Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025 The help of citizen scientists, and next-generation telescopes like the transcontinental Square Kilometre Array in South Africa and Australia, will be needed to answer such questions. Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025 As next-generation telescopes and missions uncover millions more asteroids, studies like these are helping scientists write a planetary defense blueprint to safeguard Earth. Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for next-generation

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of next-generation was in 1965

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Cite this Entry

“Next-generation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/next-generation. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

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