generational

G2E1N1E1R1A1T1I1O1N1A1L1

adjective

Of, pertaining to, or changing over generations.

OriginProto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? ← English generation ← Middle English generacioun →
Less commonScrabble 13
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Meanings

adjectivegenerational (not comparable)
  1. not comparableOf, pertaining to, or changing over generations.

    The generational shift Mr. Obama once embodied is, in fact, well under way, but it will not change Washington as quickly — or as harmoniously — as a lot of voters once hoped.

    2012 November 7, Matt Bai, “Winning a Second Term, Obama Will Confront Familiar Headwinds”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 16 Nov 2018
  2. informalnot comparableExceptional; the best/worst of a generation; once-in-a-generation.
  3. informalnot comparableVery good/bad (through semantic bleaching or weakening of the above sense).
    1 more example

    Mr Musk’s actions are worrying shareholders – a gesture he referred to as a “Roman salute” has not gone down well in Europe. In a recent survey of over 100,000 Germans, 94pc said they would never purchase a Tesla, while sales in their country were down 62pc during the first quarter of 2025 compared to the year before. … Gen Z investors on social media refer to errors like this as “a generational fumble”.

    2025 April 5, Josh Kirby, “Warren Buffett’s $230m bet on this Tesla killer changed the way I invest”, in The Telegraph, archived from the original on 07 Apr 2025

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ǵenh₁-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ǵénh₁os
  3. Proto-Italic*genos
  4. Latingenus
  5. Latingenerō
  6. Latingenerātiō
  7. Old Frenchgeneracion
  8. Latingenerātiō
  9. Middle Englishgeneracioun
  10. Englishgeneration
  11. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  12. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  13. Englishgenerational

From generation + -al.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan generacional
  • generacionalof, pertaining to, or changing over generations
Chinese Mandarin 世代的
  • 世代的 (shìdài de)of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
Czech generační
  • generačníof, pertaining to, or changing over generations
Dutch generationeel
  • generationeelof, pertaining to, or changing over generations
Esperanto generacia
  • generaciaof, pertaining to, or changing over generations
Finnish sukupolvien välinen, sukupolvittainen
  • sukupolvien välinenof, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • sukupolvittainenof, pertaining to, or changing over generations
French générationnel
  • générationnelof, pertaining to, or changing over generations
German generationell, generationsmäßig
  • generationellof, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • generationsmäßigof, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • Generations-of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
Hebrew דּוֹרִי
  • דּוֹרִיof, pertaining to, or changing over generations
Italian generazionale
  • generazionaleof, pertaining to, or changing over generations
Polish pokoleniowy
  • pokoleniowyof, pertaining to, or changing over generations
Portuguese geracional
  • geracionalof, pertaining to, or changing over generations
Russian поколе́нческий
  • поколе́нческий (pokolénčeskij)of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
Spanish generacional
  • generacionalof, pertaining to, or changing over generations
Cite this entry
APA

generational. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/generational

MLA

“generational.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/generational. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “generational,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/generational.

Source: generational on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.