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

"I've wavered a little bit from the pop sound myself, so to come back to it with the people who are basically owning that genre at the minute was an honour," he said.

Read more on BBC

It allows us to push the documentary genre into a new space.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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

Read more on Salon

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.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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