genre

American  

[zhahn-ruh, zhahn-r^uh] / ˈʒɑn rə, ˈʒɑ̃ rə /

noun

• genres
  plural

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 British  

/ 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 Cultural  

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.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• genres
  plural

Etymology

Origin of genre

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

Explanation

A genre is a specific type of music, film, or writing. Your favorite literary genre might be science fiction, and your favorite film genre might be horror flicks about cheerleaders. Go figure. In music, genre refers to musical style such as jazz, salsa or rock. In film or literature, the genre is determined by the subject, setting or plot of the story. When you are wandering around a book store, books are usually arranged by genre. Many genres, such as "mystery" or "fantasy," overlap in film and literature, while others, such as "romantic comedy" in film or "historical fiction" in books, are specific to one or the other.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

genre genres

Once I read that simple recipe, it changed the way I thought about every kind of genre fiction, including superhero tales like HBO’s “Lanterns.”

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

The genre is popular with viewers: 23 young adult titles made Netflix’s global top 10 list this year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

They’ve surpassed $2 billion in sales for Starbucks, as they’ve launched an ever-sprawling genre of refresher varieties: water-based, lemonade-based, coconut milk–based, chili-dusted, frozen and blended.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

The genre dispute was represented by two rival record companies that defined 1990s hip-hop: Knight's Death Row Records and Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

I can’t remember a thing about the film that night—not its title, not even its genre.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

He added that Sony is looking for ways to integrate gaming and anime, genres he said have a natural affinity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Yet the writer-director has worked in other genres and his latest finds him trying his hand at a whodunit within the trappings of a historical drama.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

I have certain genres that I always check out: I’m particularly into Jamaican gospel now, which is kind of primitive and not reggae, very illuminated, great singers.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026

Tributes have been paid to Ray King, one of the most influential singers in the ska and 2 Tone music genres, following the announcement of his death.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

We found other ways of expression, explored other genres, and shared the podium with other voices.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

Related Words

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