generic you

Meanings

noun

The pronoun you, used to refer to an unspecified person or to people in general.
The generic you can include more than just the direct addressee of the speech — it can even include those who are only over-hearing (or ‘over-reading’), suggesting that the reader could feel like they are also addressed by the pronoun.
2015, Zsófia Demjén, Sylvia Plath and the Language of Affective States: Written Discourse and the Experience of Depression, page 161
Synonyms: one, they

nounThe pronoun you, used to refer to an unspecified person or to people in general.

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APA

generic you. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/generic%20you

MLA

“generic you.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/generic%20you. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “generic you,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/generic%20you.