subgenre
noun
sub·genre
ˈsəb-ˌzhän-rə 
-ˌzhäⁿ-;
-ˌzhäⁿr;
-ˌjän-rə
variants
or less commonly sub-genre
plural subgenres also sub-genres
: a genre that is part of a larger genre
The series is part of the booming "urban fantasy" subgenre, which features supernatural creatures interacting with ordinary humans in a contemporary city.—
Jennifer Schuessler
Jennifer SchuesslerExamples of subgenre in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But as other reality-TV subgenres similarly flourished over the two-plus decades since, the Emmys responded by micro-classifying the shows and pushing most of them to the Creative Arts ceremony.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 May 2026
Across its many subgenres, reality television is a format that contains multitudes, including competition, luxury, romance, aspirational support or instruction, scopophilia, pure escapism, and, at its most shameless (and sometimes, yes, gratifying), a heaping portion of schadenfreude.
—Todd Gilchrist, IndieWire, 7 May 2026
Middle of Nowhere, on the other hand, is an expansive but focused survey of the past 50-plus years of country music and its various subgenres, with a particular emphasis on her Texas heritage.
—Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026
The origins of outlaw country music, popular in the 1970s and ‘80s, are largely credited to Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, but Coe was a seminal figure in the subgenre.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subgenre
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Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 May 2026
Across its many subgenres, reality television is a format that contains multitudes, including competition, luxury, romance, aspirational support or instruction, scopophilia, pure escapism, and, at its most shameless (and sometimes, yes, gratifying), a heaping portion of schadenfreude.
—Todd Gilchrist, IndieWire, 7 May 2026
Middle of Nowhere, on the other hand, is an expansive but focused survey of the past 50-plus years of country music and its various subgenres, with a particular emphasis on her Texas heritage.
—Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026
The origins of outlaw country music, popular in the 1970s and ‘80s, are largely credited to Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, but Coe was a seminal figure in the subgenre.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subgenre
Cite this Entry
“Subgenre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subgenre. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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