Gen X

noun

ˈjen-ˈeks 

: generation x

Gen X managed to stretch adolescence beyond all previous limits: Its members started becoming adults earlier and finished becoming adults later.

—Jean M. Twenge

—often used before another noun

a Gen X celebrity

—often hyphenated in such use

… 'The Blair Witch Project,' a stealth blockbuster with clever Internet marketing and so much Gen-X appeal that it's spooking Hollywood.

—Newsweek

Gen Xer

ˈjen-ˈek-sər 

noun

or Gen-Xer

plural Gen Xers or Gen-Xers

… only about 56 percent of high-school seniors in 2015 went out on dates; for Boomers and Gen Xers, the number was about 85 percent.

—Jean M. Twenge

Like many Gen-Xers, I remember childhood as an uncomplicated time when the only thing you had to worry about was being home by dark.

—Bethany Young Hardy

Examples of Gen X in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The program, familiar to many Gen X and millennials who participated in elementary school, will open for enrollment starting May 1, the organization revealed. —Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026

Sephora is seeing similar growth, telling CNBC the company is actively investing in broadening its brands that target the high-spending Gen X group. —Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2026

Many of these individuals are Gen X and millennials, individuals who hold leadership and management positions in their jobs. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2026

With the World Cup upon us, soccer-loving Gen X and elder millennial Angelenos are desperate to get in on the action. —Rebecca Leib, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Gen X

• becks
• checks
• czechs
• decks
• dex
• ex
• flecks
• flex
• hex
• lex
• necks
• pecks