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

Of the 6 million small businesses in the U.S. with up to 100 employees — 4.5 million of which are owned by baby boomers or Generation X, Teamshares said.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 10, 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

They are doing better than their older millennial and Generation X counterparts.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 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

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

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