generation

American  

[jen-uh-rey-shuhn] / ˌdʒɛn əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the entire body of individuals born and living at about the same time.

   the postwar generation.

2. the average span of years between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring, reckoned in accordance with various disciplines, as in human population studies, which typically cite a generational range as 20–35 years, and in the classification of Generations X, Y, and Z, which loosely frame periods of 15–20 years.

   Her photo layout shows the hairstyle trends among young men over the past four generations.

3. a group of individuals, most of whom are the same approximate age, having similar ideas, problems, attitudes, etc.

4. a group of individuals belonging to a specific category at the same time.

   Chaplin belonged to the generation of silent-screen stars.

5. a single step in natural descent, as of human beings, animals, or plants.

6. a form, type, class, etc., of objects existing at the same time and having many similarities or developed from a common model or ancestor (often used in combination).

   a new generation of anticancer drugs;

   a third-generation phone.

7. the offspring of a certain parent or couple, considered as a step in natural descent.

8. the act or process of generating or bringing into being; production, manufacture, or procreation.

9. the state of being generated.

10. production by natural or artificial processes; evolution, as of heat or sound.

11. Biology.

    1. one complete life cycle.

    2. one of the alternate phases that complete a life cycle having more than one phase.

       the gametophyte generation.

12. Mathematics. the production of a geometrical figure by the motion of another figure.

13. Physics. one of the successive sets of nuclei produced in a chain reaction.

14. (in duplicating processes, as photocopying, film, etc.) the distance in duplicating steps that a copy is from the original work.

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generation British  

/ ˌdʒɛnəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of bringing into being; production or reproduction, esp of offspring

2. 1. a successive stage in natural descent of organisms: the time between when an organism comes into being and when it reproduces

   2. the individuals produced at each stage

3. the normal or average time between two such generations of a species: about 35 years for humans

4. a phase or form in the life cycle of a plant or animal characterized by a particular type of reproduction

   the gametophyte generation

5. all the people of approximately the same age, esp when considered as sharing certain attitudes, etc

6. production of electricity, heat, etc

7. physics a set of nuclei formed directly from a preceding set in a chain reaction

8. (modifier, in combination)

   1. belonging to a generation specified as having been born in or as having parents, grandparents, etc, born in a given country

      a third-generation American

   2. belonging to a specified stage of development in manufacture, usually implying improvement

      a second-generation computer

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generation Scientific  

/ jĕn′ə-rā′shən /

1. 1. All of the offspring that are at the same stage of descent from a common ancestor.

   2. The average interval of time between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring.

2. A form or stage in the life cycle of an organism.

3. See more at alternation of generations

4. The formation of a line or geometric figure by the movement of a point or line.

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Other Word Forms

• generational adjective
• generationally adverb
• intergeneration noun
• pregeneration noun
• subgeneration noun

Etymology

Origin of generation

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English generacioun, from Middle French, from Latin generātiōn- (stem of generātiō ); generate, -ion

Explanation

A generation can refer to a group of people who live at the same time and are about the same age. But generation is also the act of creating something, such as income, ideas or kids. In 1965, Pete Townsend, the guitarist of The Who, wrote a song called "My Generation." The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix and other popular musicians of the day were called “the Woodstock Generation,” because they performed at a famous music festival in Woodstock, New York. Generation is used in another way when people credit those bands — along with Elvis, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones — with the generation of rock-and-roll culture.

Example Sentences

Oversight of payments to your brother not only prevents him from squandering the money, but it helps family wealth outlast a single generation, the law firm adds.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

That seemingly contradictory cocktail might make her a patron saint for a generation lost to the norms but seeking what feels like meaning.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

GitLab offered underwhelming guidance in its quarterly earnings report in March, prompting investor concern that the customer use of AI-driven code generation could dent the company’s future revenue streams.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

The successful launch and return of Artemis II has struck a chord with my generation, which has had a complex relationship with space exploration.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

“Unfortunately,” Darkness said, “your generation is less concerned with learning the stories as well as sharing them, and more concerned with modern conveniences. As such, we are losing our memories.”

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

Related Words

• day
• era
• period
• time