generation
age group / production / version
[C/U] Both
pl: generations
This term carries a strong sense of chronological layering. When applied to people, it evokes a feeling of shared cultural identity and collective experience, often highlighting the friction or gap in understanding between different age groups.
In technical or industrial contexts, it describes a leap in evolution. It suggests a clean break from the previous version, where the new iteration is expected to be more efficient, powerful, or sophisticated than its predecessor.
Countable when referring to a specific group of people born in the same era (the baby boomer generation). Uncountable when referring to the general process of producing something (the generation of heat).
Meanings
Examples
The industrial revolution sparked a new generation.
History