generic

[juh-ner-ik]

adjective

1. of, applicable to, or referring to all the members of a genus, class, group, or kind; not specific; general.

   Synonyms: universal, common
   Antonyms: specific

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

3. (of a word) applicable or referring to both men and women.

   a generic pronoun.

4. not protected by trademark registration.

   “Cola” and “shuttle” are generic terms.

   Synonyms: unbranded

5. 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.

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

generic

/ 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

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

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• generically adverb
• genericalness noun
• nongeneric adjective
• nongenerical adjective
• nongenerically adverb
• pseudogeneric adjective
• pseudogenerical adjective
• pseudogenerically adverb
• supergeneric adjective
• supergenerically adverb
• ungeneric adjective
• ungenerical adjective
• ungenerically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of generic¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of generic¹

C17: from French; see _genus

Example Sentences

Meantime, private-label brands that make cheaper generics haven’t seen a corresponding increase, the company said last week, suggesting consumers are using up their inventory and making their existing stock last longer, rather than trading down.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The approval would make the company the sole player in the generic market at its launch in January 2026, though gains could decline as competitors enter, they add.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The armed men wore only generic “police” patches, and most were in street clothes.

Read more on Salon

However, he said there had been a push for "generic, cheap medications" that meant 85% of antidepressant prescriptions in the UK were for just three drugs: the SSRIs citalopram, sertraline and fluoxetine.

Read more on BBC

Patients will pay more for California’s generic than for similar insulins already on the market.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• universal