Gen X

noun

ˈjen-ˈeks

: generation x

Gen X managed to stretch adolescence beyond all previous limits: Its members started becoming adults earlier and finished becoming adults later.—

Jean M. Twenge

—often used before another noun

a Gen X celebrity

—often hyphenated in such use

… 'The Blair Witch Project,' a stealth blockbuster with clever Internet marketing and so much Gen-X appeal that it's spooking Hollywood.—

Newsweek

Gen Xer

ˈjen-ˈek-sər

noun

or Gen-Xer

plural Gen Xers or Gen-Xers

… only about 56 percent of high-school seniors in 2015 went out on dates; for Boomers and Gen Xers, the number was about 85 percent. —

Jean M. Twenge

Like many Gen-Xers, I remember childhood as an uncomplicated time when the only thing you had to worry about was being home by dark. —

Bethany Young Hardy

Examples of Gen X in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In Phoenix, Mesa and Chandler, 12.6% of millionaire homeowners are Gen Z, 17.2% are Millennials, 35.5% are Gen X, 32.6% are Baby Boomers and 2.2% are Silent Generation owners. —

Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 25 Apr. 2024 From baby boomers to Gen X, each age cohot has unique qualities based on the political, economic and social factors of the time. —

Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024 This is a higher share than their millennial (60%), Gen X (58%), and Baby Boomer (56%) counterparts. —

Courtney Vinopal, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024 Additionally, Gen X and older millennials should consider delaying Social Security until age 70, which can significantly boost their monthly payouts. —

Ebony Flake, Essence, 11 Apr. 2024 Cobra Kai is the rare show that Gen X and Gen Z can love equally. —

Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 6 Apr. 2024 Baby boomers and Gen X are wildly underprepared for retirement on the whole, according to many surveys and studies. —

Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024 As more and more corporations relax degree requirements, and with Boomers delaying retirement and Gen X expected to follow suit, today’s workforce spans multiple generations and professional stages. —

Ebony Flake, Essence, 2 Apr. 2024 Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the box-office gold standard for this formula, but almost every beloved Gen X or Millennial media property has done it—many of them multiple times—including sci-fi works such as Alien and The Terminator, and horror-fests such as Scream and Halloween. —

David Sims, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Gen X.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.