Generation Yn.
/ˌdʒɛnəreɪʃn ˈwʌɪ/, U.S. /ˌdʒɛnəˌreɪʃən ˈwaɪ/ Originally North American.
The generation of people born between the early 1980s and the mid 1990s and following Generation X, noted in particular for their increased familiarity with and reliance on digital and electronic technology and (later) for having poorer financial and material prospects than their parents; = Gen Y n.Now frequently referred to as the millennial generation (see millennial generation n. at millennial adj. 3).
ΚΠ
1992 Gazette (Montreal) 7 Aug. a2/3 Call them Generation Y, because Y comes after X, and maybe because they're coming of age with the big questions laid out before them.
1999 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 6 Apr. 11/1 If you are aged between seven and 17, smart, independent, live life through audio-visuals and are critical consumers, you've been tagged ‘Generation Y’.
2016 Guardian (Nexis) 7 Mar. (heading) The 30-year economic betrayal dragging down Generation Y's income. Exclusive new data shows how debt, unemployment and property prices have combined to stop millennials taking their share of western wealth.
Derivatives
ˌGeneration ˈYer n. a member of Generation Y; = Gen Yer n. at Gen Y n. Derivatives.Generation Yers are now frequently referred to as millennials (see millennial n. 2).
ΚΠ
1996 Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois) 12 Jan. vi. 4 (heading) From jungle to acid to modern rock, Generation Yers are grooving to it.
2010 C. M. Lehman & D. D. DuFrene Professional Communications iv. 65/1 Millennials (also called Generation Yers). The children and grandchildren of the boomers' children..are technologically savvy, active, and visually oriented due to their lifetime experience in a high-tech world.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2021).
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n.1992