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genre

American  
[zhahn-ruh, zhahn-ruh] / ˈʒɑn rə, ˈʒɑ̃ rə /

noun

PLURAL

genres

  1. 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.

  2. Fine Arts.

    1. paintings in which scenes of everyday life form the subject matter.

    2. a realistic style of painting using such subject matter.

  3. genus; kind; sort; style.

adjective

  1. Fine Arts.  of or relating to genre.

  2. of or relating to a distinctive literary type.

genre British  
/ ˈʒɑːnrə /

noun

    1. kind, category, or sort, esp of literary or artistic work

    2. ( as modifier )

      genre fiction

  2. a category of painting in which domestic scenes or incidents from everyday life are depicted

"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
genre Cultural  

  1. 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.

Etymology

Origin of genre

First recorded in 1760–70; from French: “kind, sort”; gender 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It was thanks in significant part to Cowell that we came to have the genre we call world music.

From Los Angeles Times

LBC presenter James O'Brien paid tribute on air on Monday, telling listeners: "If he didn't invent the genre of radio that we all attempt to provide you with every day, then he certainly revolutionised it."

From BBC

Karol G turned heads not just for being a young woman in a hypermasculine genre, but for how she both mastered and expanded the genre from the moment she emerged in it.

From Los Angeles Times

Here are some of the most memorable twists on the genre:

From The Wall Street Journal

The streaming platform launched in 2018 as an add-on for the core Fox News audience and has focused on a handful of programming genres, including faith, family and patriotism, to extend its reach.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.