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 (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- ( gender ¹ ) + -ic

Example Sentences

One of them is a title so generic, so blandly inoffensive yet simultaneously indicative of hope, resolve, or insider knowledge as to be, ultimately, unmemorable.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026

The analysts say their forecast for Novartis’s quarterly sales of $13.3 billion is in line with consensus estimates, but they anticipate worse generic pressure and the recently closed Avidity deal to dilute margins.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Much of it has fallen into the category of “AI slop,” which as I reported in December was typically flat, dull and hopelessly generic.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Somewhere on that paperwork will be a number to call — ideally for a life insurance agent who sold the policy to your parents, but it may be a more generic customer service line.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

He no longer asked me generic questions about my evenings or my weekends.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

Related Words

• universal