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

Founded in 2014, ATTN: produces short-form news and entertainment content aimed at Gen Z and millennial audiences, centered around social issues. —Tim Baysinger, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025

Mom Jeans Listen up, Gen Z: Back in the early 2000s, the go-to hot style was low-ride, skinny jeans. —Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2025

These evolving expectations are not generic across generational lines, but are strikingly pronounced among Gen Z shoppers. —Arthur Zaczkiewicz, WWD, 10 Feb. 2025

Kerr's video comes weeks after unofficial Gen Z ambassador Alix Earle, 24, debuted a modernized version of skinny jeans with clothing label Frame. —Michelle Lee, People.com, 10 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above