Xennial

American  

[zen-ee-uhl, ek-sen‐] / ˈzɛn i əl, ɛkˈsɛn‐ /

Or xennial

noun

1. a person born between the late 1970s and early 1980s, especially in the United States; a member of the microgeneration between Generation X and Millennials.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the generation born between the late 1970s and early 1980s, especially in the United States, seen as a microgeneration between Generation X and Millennials.

Etymology

Origin of Xennial

(Generation) X ( def. ) + (Mill)ennial ( def. ); possibly coined by U.S. journalists Sarah Stankorb and Jed Oelbaum in their essay “Reasonable People Disagree about the Post-Gen X, Pre-Millennial Generation” (2014)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Xennial

As a Xennial, I turn to the MTV animated series “Daria” to explain our dynamic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Now he’s entered midlife, like the rest of his Xennial cohort.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 11, 2023

What’s an Xennial to do but explain to our elders, the hipster curmudgeons who fund our startups, that we’re mentoring the young ’uns to the best of our ability?

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2016