generic meaning
- Relating to or common to or descriptive of all members of a genus
"the generic name" - (of drugs) not protected by trademark
"'Acetaminophen' is the generic form of the proprietary drug 'Tylenol'" - Applicable to an entire class or group
"is there a generic Asian mind?"
- A wine that is a blend of several varieties of grapes with no one grape predominating; a wine that does not carry the name of any specific grape
- generic wine - Any product that can be sold without a brand name
Derived forms: generics
See also: general, generically, genus, nonproprietary
Type of: merchandise, product, vino, ware, wine
Antonym: varietal
Encyclopedia: Generic
[American slang]
mod. cheap; plain; undesirable.
• I don't want any old generic car, I want something with power and good looks.
• This cereal is generic. It has no taste at all.
• This pizza is completely generic. I can't stand it.
[Business]
adjective, noun
■ adjective
1
(about products, especially drugs) produced as a standard type of product, that does not have a brand name or is not protected by a trademark:
generic copies of patented drugs
Seven of their drugs now face generic competition.
They expect sales of their generic Prozac to drop.
2
typical of or connected with a whole group of things; not specific:
A name like 'service provider' is too generic to trademark.
They argued that 'feta' is a generic term and should not be reserved for use by Greek producers.
The farmers sponsor generic advertising for the fruit industry (= advertising fruit generally, not fruit from a particular producer or company).
■ noun (also generic drug) [C]
a drug that is sold with a name that is not protected by a trademark:
The drug went off patent and is now available as a cheap generic.
generic makers/manufacturers/competitors
[Electronics]
A form of software collection. Several specialized software packages can be derived from the generic collection, for use in different systems.
[Finance]
Describes the characteristics and/or experience of the total universe of a coupon of MBS sector type; that is, in contrast to a specific pool or collateral group, as in a specific CMO issue.
Examples
More: Next- implication is a more generic notion.
- the sensitive appetite is one generic power, and is called sensuality.
- migration is a generic term used to refer both to immigration and to emigration.
- naturalists differ much in determining what characters are of generic value.
- the generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.
