generic
Americanadjective
-
of, applicable to, or referring to all the members of a genus, class, group, or kind; not specific; general.
- Antonyms:
- specific
-
of, relating to, or noting a genus especially in biology.
-
(of a word) applicable or referring to both men and women.
a generic pronoun.
-
not protected by trademark registration.
“Cola” and “shuttle” are generic terms.
- Synonyms:
- unbranded
-
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
-
something that is generic.
-
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.
-
a wine made from two or more varieties of grapes, with no one grape constituting more than half the product (varietal ).
adjective
-
applicable or referring to a whole class or group; general
-
biology of, relating to, or belonging to a genus
the generic name
-
denoting the nonproprietary name of a drug, food product, etc
noun
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
Etymology
Origin of generic
First recorded in 1670–80; from Latin gener- ( gender 1 ) + -ic
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.
But their declaration, signed by the United States and China, was criticised by AI safety campaigners for being too generic to protect the public.
From Barron's
Some works are paradigmatic, some rather generic; the inclusion of others is perplexing.
Other studies have found that AI can augment physicians’ skills — when the doctors have learned to trust their AI tools and when they’re used in relatively uncomplicated, even generic, conditions.
From Los Angeles Times
Though the technology can help managers express themselves more effectively, it can also make basic factual mistakes or come off as generic and impersonal.
The launch of generic treatments in the U.S. for psoriasis, osteoporosis and multiple sclerosis helped to boost 2025 revenue.
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.
