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

See Examples For:

Generation X

When financial adviser Liz Windisch sits down with Generation X clients, she finds they consistently seek safety in cash — and they’re passing that conservative instinct down to their children.

From MarketWatch ● May 29, 2026

In the doc you talk about how Generation X was born out of a sense that young people had no future in the U.K.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 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

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

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