genre

[ zhahn-ruh; French zhahn-ruh ]
/ ˈʒɑn rə; French ˈʒɑ̃ rə /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR genre ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural gen·res [zhahn-ruh z; French zhahn-ruh] /ˈʒɑn rəz; French ˈʒɑ̃ rə/.

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.
Fine Arts.
  1. paintings in which scenes of everyday life form the subject matter.
  2. a realistic style of painting using such subject matter.
genus; kind; sort; style.

adjective

Fine Arts. of or relating to genre.
of or relating to a distinctive literary type.

QUIZZES

PRACTICE SOME ESCAPISM WITH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

We salute you if you remember all the doovers from Word of the Day between May 25 and May 31!
Question 1 of 7
salute
to call out to in order to stop, attract attention, ask aid, etc.
to wield power; exercise rule.
to express respect or praise for; honor; commend.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of genre

1760–70; < French: kind, sort; see gender1

Words nearby genre

genospecies, genotoxic, genotoxin, genotype, genova, genre, genre-busting, genro, genroku, gens, gens du monde
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to genre

category, style, fashion, brand, character, kind, sort, school, group, classification, class, genus, species

Example sentences from the Web for genre

British Dictionary definitions for genre

genre
/ (ˈʒɑːnrə) /

noun

  1. kind, category, or sort, esp of literary or artistic work
  2. (as modifier)genre fiction
a category of painting in which domestic scenes or incidents from everyday life are depicted

Word Origin for genre

C19: from French, from Old French gendre; see gender
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for genre

genre
[ (zhahn-ruh) ]

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.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.