Standard Lemma guide

generational

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: JH EH2 N ER0 EY1 SH AH0 N AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of, pertaining to, or changing over generations.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Exceptional; the best/worst of a generation; once-in-a-generation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Very good/bad (through semantic bleaching or weakening of the above sense).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective

Meaning 4

of or relating to a generation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh1- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh1os Proto-Italic *genos Latin genus Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh2yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h2tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin generō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin generātiōbor. Old French generacionbor. ▲ Latin generātiōbor. Middle English generacioun English generation English -al English generational From generation + -al.

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: generacional — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • Chinese Mandarin: 世代的 (shìdài de) — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • Czech: generační — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • Dutch: generationeel — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • Esperanto: generacia — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • Finnish: sukupolvien välinen — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • Finnish: sukupolvittainen — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • French: générationnel — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • Galician: xeracional — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • German: generationell — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • German: generationsmäßig — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • German: Generations- — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • Hebrew: דּוֹרִי — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • Ido: generacionala — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • Italian: generazionale — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • Polish: pokoleniowy — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • Portuguese: geracional — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • Russian: поколе́нческий (pokolénčeskij) — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations
  • Spanish: generacional — of, pertaining to, or changing over generations