generic

American  

[juh-ner-ik] / dʒəˈnɛr ɪk /

adjective

1. of, applicable to, or referring to all the members of a genus, class, group, or kind; not specific; general.

   Synonyms:

   universal, common

   Antonyms:

   specific

2. of, relating to, or noting a genus especially in biology.

3. (of a word) applicable or referring to both men and women.

   a generic pronoun.

4. not protected by trademark registration.

   “Cola” and “shuttle” are generic terms.

   Synonyms:

   unbranded

5. having no distinguishing characteristics; commonplace.

   There are a lot of generic interviews, and the lack of unique perspective you get from interviewers is somewhat shocking.

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noun

1. something that is generic.

2. any product, as a type of food, drug, or cosmetic commonly marketed under a brand name, that is sold in a package without a brand.

3. a wine made from two or more varieties of grapes, with no one grape constituting more than half the product (distinguished from varietal).

generic British  

/ dʒɪˈnɛrɪk /

adjective

1. applicable or referring to a whole class or group; general

2. biology of, relating to, or belonging to a genus

   the generic name

3. denoting the nonproprietary name of a drug, food product, etc

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noun

1. a drug, food product, etc that does not have a trademark

Other Word Forms

• generically
  adverb
• genericalness
  noun
• nongeneric
  adjective
• nongenerical
  adjective
• nongenerically
  adverb
• pseudogeneric
  adjective
• pseudogenerical
  adjective
• pseudogenerically
  adverb
• supergeneric
  adjective
• supergenerically
  adverb
• ungeneric
  adjective
• ungenerical
  adjective
• ungenerically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of generic

First recorded in 1670–80; from Latin gener- ( see gender ¹) + -ic

Explanation

Generic refers to the members of a whole class of things — like "tissue," a generic word for any soft, thin piece of paper that's good for wiping runny noses. A generic product, whether it's a tire or donut or drug, is typical of all other products like it. There's nothing distinctive or unique about it. A generic fan looks and acts just like dozens of other fans — it doesn't spin backwards or send out sparks. Generic aspirin doesn't have a trademark, like Bayer or St. Joseph: it's just plain aspirin.

Example Sentences

This trend is demonstrated by the change in the generic ballot.

From Salon • May 20, 2026

Based on Rededicate 250’s marketing, most of the program looks likely to avoid overtly political rhetoric in favor of generic prayers calling on God to bless the country.

From Salon • May 15, 2026

Aspirin’s second act is a powerful example of generic drug repurposing—the discovery of new uses for long-approved, off-patent medicines.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

The first step is more public funding, structured to maximize its power to encourage generic drug repurposing.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

“All right, everyone who has heard that an Assassin was sent after me, raise your hand—wait—there are no actual Assassins, right? Only generic murder types? Good, all right, now you can raise your hands.”

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

• universal