generic

[ juh-ner-ik ]
See synonyms for generic on Thesaurus.com
adjectiveAlso ge·ner·i·cal .
  1. of, applicable to, or referring to all the members of a genus, class, group, or kind; not specific; general.

  2. of, relating to, or noting a genus especially in biology.

  1. (of a word) applicable or referring to both men and women: a generic pronoun.

  2. not protected by trademark registration: “Cola” and “shuttle” are generic terms.

  3. having no distinguishing characteristics; commonplace: There are a lot of generic interviews, and the lack of unique perspective you get from interviewers is somewhat shocking.

noun
  1. something that is generic.

  2. any product, as a type of food, drug, or cosmetic commonly marketed under a brand name, that is sold in a package without a brand.

  1. a wine made from two or more varieties of grapes, with no one grape constituting more than half the product (distinguished from varietal).

Origin of generic

1
First recorded in 1670–80; from Latin gener- (see gender1) + -ic

Other words for generic

Opposites for generic

Other words from generic

  • ge·ner·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • ge·ner·i·cal·ness, noun
  • non·ge·ner·ic, adjective
  • non·ge·ner·i·cal, adjective
  • non·ge·ner·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • pseu·do·ge·ner·ic, adjective
  • pseu·do·ge·ner·i·cal, adjective
  • pseu·do·ge·ner·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • su·per·ge·ner·ic, adjective
  • su·per·ge·ner·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • un·ge·ner·ic, adjective
  • un·ge·ner·i·cal, adjective
  • un·ge·ner·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby generic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use generic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for generic

generic

generical

/ (dʒɪˈnɛrɪk) /


adjective
  1. applicable or referring to a whole class or group; general

  2. biology of, relating to, or belonging to a genus: the generic name

  1. denoting the nonproprietary name of a drug, food product, etc

noun
  1. a drug, food product, etc that does not have a trademark

Origin of generic

1
C17: from French; see genus

Derived forms of generic

  • generically, adverb

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