Dictionary

Generation X en · PROPN

Pronunciation

• /ˌdʒɛnəˌɹeɪʃən ˈɛks/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˌdʒɛnəɹeɪʃn̩ ˈɛks/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Compound of generation + X (used to represent an unknown quantity or unknown value). Sense 2 (“the post-baby boom generation”) was popularized by the novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture (1991) by the Canadian author and artist Douglas Coupland (born 1961).

Meanings

1. (Australia, Ireland, New-Zealand, UK, US, qualifier:originally) A generation of people whose future is uncertain; a lost generation.
   • When historians evaluate the contribution of Generation X one theme will recur over and over again, and that is the rage and revulsion handed from Father to Son. 1964, Charles Hamblett, Jane Deverson, Generation X, →OCLC, page 191:
2. (Australia, Ireland, New-Zealand, UK, US, specifically) The generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II, especially those born from 1965 to 1980, sometimes characterized as cynical, disaffected, lacking direction in life, and unwilling to take part fully in society.
   • Any self-respecting Generation Xer […] might notice that Mr. [Douglas] Coupland's death knell for Generation X coincides with the promotion of his latest book, “Microserfs” (HarperCollins) 1995 June 18, John Marchese, “The short shelf life of Generation X”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 35:

Forms

Coordinates

Generation Y · Generation Z · boomer

Deriveds

xennial · Generation Xer · Xer · Gen-Xer · Generation XL · Gen Xer

Relateds

zoomer · echo boomer · baby buster · baby boomer · millennial

Synonyms

13th Gen · MTV generation

Translations (42)

hy X սերունդ (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · hi X पीढ़ी (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · hu X nemzedék (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · fi X-sukupolvi (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · af Generasie X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · nl Generatie X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · ur جنریشن ایکس (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · oc Generacion X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · uk Покоління X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · ar الجيل إكس (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · ast Xeneración X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · ca generació X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · kmr jenerasyona X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · ja ジェネレーションX (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · ka თაობა X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · mk Генерација X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · pl pokolenie X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · sk Generácia X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · sh Generácija X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · el Γενιά Χ (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · tr X jenerasyonu (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · pt Geração X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · gl Xeración X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · io Generaciono X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · eu X belaunaldia (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · ko X세대 (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · cmn X世代 (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · es generación X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · nb Generasjon X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · ms Generasi X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · sc Ingènneru X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · tr X kuşağı (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · th เจเนอเรชันเอกซ์ (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · cs Generace X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · hu X generáció (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · fr génération X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · kmr nifşê X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · it Generazione X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · ro Generația X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · ru Поколе́ние X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · sh Генера́ција X (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II) · et X-põlvkond (generation of people born after the baby boom that followed World War II)

wikipedia: Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture · wikipedia: Douglas Coupland