Generation X

American  

[jen-uh-rey-shuhn eks] / ˈdʒɛn əˈreɪ ʃən ˈɛks /

Also GenX, Gen-X

noun

1. the generation born between about 1966 and 1980.

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Generation X British  

noun

1. members of the generation of people born between the mid-1960s and the mid-1970s who are highly educated and underemployed, reject consumer culture, and have little hope for the future

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Other Word Forms

• Generation Xer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Generation X

First recorded in 1990–95; named after the novel of the same name by Douglas Coupland (born 1961), German-born Canadian artist and novelist

Example Sentences

Generation X had the highest homeownership rate relative to their age, so when the housing bubble popped in 2008, it hit Gen X the hardest.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Baby boomers and members of Generation X also experienced the sharpest declines in confidence using AI technology, according to a ManpowerGroup survey of more than 13,900 workers in 19 countries.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

Boomers have been more financially comfortable than their predecessors during the same times of life, and if the trends continue, they’ll be better off than at least one generation after them, too: Generation X.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026

Generation X was known as the “slacker generation,” even though, arguably, they worked as hard as everyone else.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 29, 2025

An even worse cliche, Generation X, is already degenerating. get nowhere fast.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner