Generation Y

GenY,

[jen-uh-rey-shuhn wahy]

noun

1. the generation born between about 1980 and the mid-1990s.

Generation Y

noun

1. members of the generation of people born between the early 1980s and mid-1990s who are seen as being discerning consumers with a high disposable income

Word History and Origins

Origin of Generation Y¹

First recorded in 1990–95; patterned on Generation X

Example Sentences

Shaped by the borderless internet, growing economic inequality and an increasingly dire climate crisis, the Generation Y cohort of presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers and other “excellencies” is making their mark at the largest gathering of world leaders.

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“I’m part of Generation Y,” he said.

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Succeeding generations, from Generation Y to millennials, may have to wait to weather a bust to fully exploit the next market boom.

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For much of the 1990s, Howe points out, it did battle with rival labels such as Generation Y. That name, he says, “was almost always the more derogatory alternative. People used it to make the point that this new generation was everything the Xers were, but more extreme. More commercial, more risk-taking, totally over the top. You know, like ‘Gen Xers are a little bit alienated from family life, but these kids are just off the charts.’”

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Their planners, who are often young themselves, focus on financial guidance for Generation X and Generation Y clients, and offer assistance on a pay-per-hour basis or lower-cost monthly fees.

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