What does genre mean?
Genre denotes a category of artistic or cultural work whose members share recognizable features such as style, subject, structure, tone, or production conventions. The term is commonly applied to literature, film, music, theatre, visual art, and digital media, where it helps describe both the defining qualities of a work and its relationship to other works. For example, a story might combine the conventions of science fiction with those of a detective narrative, while a song can incorporate elements from more than one musical style. Although its dominant modern sense concerns the arts, genre can also mean any type or class of thing in more formal general usage. The word is useful because it identifies patterns shared across a body of work rather than evaluating an individual work. It also indicates that artistic classifications are not always fixed, since a work may combine conventions associated with several genres or challenge them deliberately.
A category of artistic or cultural works characterized by shared features, such as subject matter, form, style, or convention; more formally, any type or class of thing.
"The film is widely associated with the science-fiction genre."
The artistic sense is dominant in modern usage. The broader sense meaning “type” or “category” is formal and less common.
To classify a work or subject as belonging to a particular genre.
"The critic refused to genre the novel because it deliberately crosses conventional boundaries."
This is a rare, chiefly critical or academic use.
The standard plural of the noun is genres.
"The study examines genres of music produced during the period."
Borrowed from French, genre still carries its Latin meaning: a kind, class, or category.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does genre come from?
English borrowed the word genre from French in the early 17th century. French genre came from Latin genus, meaning “kind” or “class,” which was derived from Greek genos, with related senses of “race,” “origin,” and “kind.” English cognates descended from the same broad Latin root include generic, general, generous, and genius.
How genre is actually used
Genre is standard in English-language discussion of the arts and is also widely used in media criticism. Its broader meaning, “type” or “category,” is comparatively formal; the plural is genres.
Easily confused with genre
Genre is a category of artistic or cultural work, whereas genus is a taxonomic group in biological classification.