Gen Y

or GenY, Gen-Y

[ jen-wahy ]

/ ˈdʒɛn ˈwaɪ /

Save This Word!

abbreviation

Generation Y.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of Gen Y

1990–95

OTHER WORDS FROM Gen Y

Gen Y'er, noun

Words nearby Gen Y

genuineness, gen up, genus, genu valgum, Gen X, Gen Y, geo-, geobotany, geocaching, geocarpy, geocentric

Other definitions for Gen Y (2 of 2)

-geny

a combining form meaning “origin,” used in the formation of compound words: phylogeny.

Origin of -geny

From the Greek word -geneia, dating back to 1885–90. See -gen, -y³

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Gen Y in a sentence

Why do you think you were “an asperg-y movie fan…a jabbering repellent acolyte?”
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire|William O’Connor|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In 1951, Harry Truman fired Gen. Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War.
We Need Our Police to Be Better Than This|Nick Gillespie|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lyricist E. Y. “Yip” Harburg was as provocative as Hammerstein, though with a much less earnest, more whimsical sensibility.
When Broadway Musicals Were Dark And Subversive|Laurence Maslon|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A recent propaganda video courtesy of Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha is the latest example.
Hitler is Huge in Thailand: Chicken Joints, T-Shirts, and A Govt.-Issued Propaganda Video|Marlow Stern|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Very bass-y house, if I was in my element and playing what I like to play.
Idris Elba on Eric Garner, ‘Mi Mandela,’ and Selling Weed to Dave Chappelle|Marlow Stern|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If the "Y" Beach lot press their advantage they may cut off the enemy troops on the toe of the Peninsula.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
He saw Gen. Braddock as he passed on to his defeat, and could give a succinct account of that sanguinary action.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Y was a Youth, that did not love school; Z was a Zany, a poor harmless fool.
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
D'o l'on peut aussy veoir, quelle esperance il y a de planter une belle chrestient par tels evangelistes.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
Ajoutez cecy, s'il vous plaist, la grande difficult qu'il y a de tirer d'eux les mots mesmes qu'ils ont.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various

British Dictionary definitions for Gen Y

-geny

n combining form

indicating origin or manner of developmentphylogeny

Derived forms of -geny

-genic, adj combining form

Word Origin for -geny

from Greek -geneia, from -genēs born

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012