Generation Z
Americannoun
Usage
What does Generation Z mean? Generation Z is the name for the generation of children after the millennials, born in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Etymology
Origin of Generation Z
First recorded in 1990–95; patterned on Generation X ( def. ), Generation Y ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Generation Z are those born between 1997 and 2012, and millennials are those born between 1981 and 1996.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026
Among Generation Z, about 80% plan to gradually phase different kinds of work into retirement, as do about 60% of millennials.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026
Editor’s note: In this Future View, students discuss the divide between Generation Z men and women.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026
The competition, which is split between running and fitness exercises, has proven particularly popular with young millennials and Generation Z - people in their twenties to early forties.
From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026
Generation Z is going through something of a religious revival.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
