Meanings
plural genericizations
- countableuncountableThe process of becoming generic; an instance of it.
Near-synonyms: genericized trademark (an instance produced by the process); see also Thesaurus:generalization
Synonyms: genericized trademark, abstraction, despecification, generalization, universalization
- uncountablelawWith respect to a trademark, the act or process of becoming so widely identified as a reference for a type of product as to cease representing a particular brand or manufacturer of that type of product.
Successful companies have strategies to protect their trademarks and fend off the creep of genericization, Mr. Taylor said.
2024 September 19, Scott Cacciola, “Tupperware (the Brand) May Fail. Tupperware (the Word) Will Survive.”, in The New York TimesSynonyms: genericide, trademark erosion
- countableAn instance of this act or process; a generic name thus created.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe process of becoming generic; an instance of it.
nounWith respect to a trademark, the act or process of becoming so widely identified as a reference for a type of product as to cease representing a particular brand or manufacturer of that type of product.
Origin
Cite this entry
genericization. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/genericization
“genericization.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/genericization. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “genericization,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/genericization.
Source: genericization on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.