genre

[zhahn-ruh, zhahn-r^uh]

noun

plural

genres 

1. a class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique, or the like.

   the genre of epic poetry; the genre of symphonic music.

2. Fine Arts.

   1. paintings in which scenes of everyday life form the subject matter.

   2. a realistic style of painting using such subject matter.

3. genus; kind; sort; style.

adjective

1. Fine Arts.,  of or relating to genre.

2. of or relating to a distinctive literary type.

genre

/ ˈʒɑːnrə /

noun

1. 1. kind, category, or sort, esp of literary or artistic work

   2. ( as modifier )

      genre fiction

2. a category of painting in which domestic scenes or incidents from everyday life are depicted

genre

1. The kind or type of a work of art, from the French, meaning “kind” or “genus.” Literary genres include the novel and the sonnet. Musical genres include the concerto and the symphony. Film genres include Westerns and horror movies.

Word History and Origins

Origin of genre¹

First recorded in 1760–70; from French: “kind, sort”; gender ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of genre¹

C19: from French, from Old French gendre; see _gender

Example Sentences

Fundamentally, these shows are primetime soap operas – a genre that hasn’t seen a hit on network TV in many seasons.

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Today AI-generated “performers” such as Breaking Rust and Xania Monet, which hit the Billboard R&B charts, are suggesting you don’t even need to be human to fit into those genres.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Perkins’ third release in the last 16 months shares similarities with both his 2024 standout “Longlegs” and his disappointing adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Monkey” that extend beyond their shared genre.

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While the modernists’ innovations made significant waves in literary and academic circles, they also prepared the public for similar approaches from writers working in more popular genres.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It all makes for a short and eerily effective update on the suburban Gothic genre.

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Related Words

• brand 
• category 
• character 
• fashion 
• kind 
• style