generational

generational

English

Etymology

    From generation + -al.

    Pronunciation

    • Audio (Southern England):(file)

    Adjective

    generational (not comparable)

    1. Of, pertaining to, or changing over generations.
      • 2012 November 7, Matt Bai, “Winning a Second Term, Obama Will Confront Familiar Headwinds”, in The New York Times[1], archived from the original on 16 November 2018:
        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.
    2. (informal) Exceptional; the best/worst of a generation; once-in-a-generation.
    3. Very good/bad (through semantic bleaching or weakening of the above sense).
      • 2025 April 5, Josh Kirby, “Warren Buffett’s $230m bet on this Tesla killer changed the way I invest”, in The Telegraph[2], archived from the original on 07 April 2025:
        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”.

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