Genre - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT genre /ˈʒɑnrə/ /ˈʒɑnrə/ IPA guide

Other forms: genres

A genre is a specific type of music, film, or writing. Your favorite literary genre might be science fiction, and your favorite film genre might be horror flicks about cheerleaders. Go figure.

In music, genre refers to musical style such as jazz, salsa or rock. In film or literature, the genre is determined by the subject, setting or plot of the story. When you are wandering around a book store, books are usually arranged by genre. Many genres, such as "mystery" or "fantasy," overlap in film and literature, while others, such as "romantic comedy" in film or "historical fiction" in books, are specific to one or the other.

Definitions of genre

noun a kind of literary or artistic work see moresee less type of: form, kind, sort, variety a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
noun a class of art (or artistic endeavor) having a characteristic form or technique see moresee less types: show 14 types... hide 14 types... abstract art, abstractionism an abstract genre of art; artistic content depends on internal form rather than pictorial representation chinoiserie a style in art reflecting Chinese influence; elaborately decorated and intricately patterned folk art genre of art of unknown origin that reflects traditional values of a society genre painting a genre depicting everyday life landscape, landscape painting a genre of art dealing with the depiction of natural scenery magic realism a literary or artistic genre in which realistic narrative or meticulously realistic painting are combined with surreal elements of fantasy or dreams modernism genre of art and literature that makes a self-conscious break with previous genres naive art, outsider art, primitive art, self-taught art, vernacular art a genre of art and outdoor constructions made by untrained artists who do not recognize themselves as artists pointillism a genre of painting characterized by the application of paint in dots and small strokes; developed by Georges Seurat and his followers in late 19th century France postmodernism genre of art and literature and especially architecture in reaction against principles and practices of established modernism primitivism a genre characteristic of (or imitative of) primitive artists or children synthetism a genre of French painting characterized by bright flat shapes and symbolic treatments of abstract ideas pastoralism a literary or artistic style that idealizes rural life, especially the life of shepherds op art a style of abstractionism popular in the 1960s; produces dramatic visual effects with colors and contrasts that are difficult for the eye to resolve type of: art, fine art the products of human creativity; works of art collectively
noun an expressive style of music synonyms: music genre, musical genre, musical style see moresee less types: show 33 types... hide 33 types... African-American music, black music music created by African-American musicians; early forms were songs that had a melodic line and a strong rhythmic beat with repeated choruses classical, classical music, serious music traditional genre of music conforming to an established form and appealing to critical interest and developed musical taste church music, religious music genre of music composed for performance as part of religious ceremonies march, marching music genre of music written for marching popular music, popular music genre any genre of music having wide appeal (but usually only for a short time) chamber music serious music performed by a small group of musicians opera a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes antiphon, antiphony a verse or song to be chanted or sung in response Mass a musical setting for a Mass processional, prosodion religious music used in a procession antiphonal, antiphonary bound collection of antiphons religious song religious music for singing cantata, oratorio a musical composition for voices and orchestra based on a religious text concerto a composition for orchestra and a soloist fugue a musical form consisting of a theme repeated a fifth above or a fourth below its first statement rondeau, rondo a musical form that is often the last movement of a sonata sonata a musical composition of 3 or 4 movements of contrasting forms blues a type of folksong that originated among Black Americans at the beginning of the 20th century; has a melancholy sound from repeated use of blue notes martial music, military march, military music brisk marching music suitable for troops marching in a military parade processional march, recessional march a march to be played for processions disco, disco music popular dance music (especially in the late 1970s); melodic with a regular bass beat; intended mainly for dancing at discotheques macumba popular dance music of Brazil; derived from the practices of the macumba religious cult pop, pop music music of general appeal to teenagers; a bland watered-down version of rock'n'roll with more rhythm and harmony and an emphasis on romantic love ethnic music, folk, folk music the traditional and typically anonymous music that is an expression of the life of people in a community ballroom music, dance music, danceroom music a genre of popular music composed for ballroom dancing soul a secular form of gospel that was a major Black musical genre in the 1960s and 1970s jazz a genre of popular music that originated in New Orleans around 1900 and developed through increasingly complex styles hip-hop, rap, rap music genre of African-American music of the 1980s and 1990s in which rhyming lyrics are chanted to a musical accompaniment; several forms of rap have emerged R and B, rhythm and blues a combination of blues and jazz that was developed in the United States by Black musicians; an important precursor of rock 'n' roll rockabilly a fusion of black music and country music that was popular in the 1950s; sometimes described as blues with a country beat rock, rock 'n' roll, rock and roll, rock music, rock'n'roll, rock-and-roll a genre of popular music originating in the 1950s; a blend of black rhythm-and-blues with white country-and-western reggae popular music originating in the West Indies; repetitive bass riffs and regular chords played on the off beat by a guitar skiffle a style of popular music in the 1950s; based on American folk music and played on guitars and improvised percussion instruments type of: music an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner expressive style, style a way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a particular person or group of people or period
noun a style of expressing yourself in writing synonyms: literary genre, writing style see moresee less types: show 19 types... hide 19 types... drama the literary genre of works intended for the theater prose ordinary writing as distinguished from verse form an arrangement of the elements in a composition or discourse poesy, poetry, verse literature in metrical form satire a literary genre that uses humor to ridicule human failings and vices impressionism a literary style that seeks to evoke feelings and sensory responses, rather than representing reality objectively euphuism an elegant style of prose of the Elizabethan period; characterized by balance and antithesis and alliteration and extended similes with and allusions to nature and mythology nonfiction, nonfictional prose prose writing that is not fictional interior monologue a literary genre that presents a fictional character's sequence of thoughts in the form of a monologue stream of consciousness a literary genre that reveals a character's thoughts and feeling as they develop by means of a long soliloquy prose poem prose that resembles poetry polyphonic prose a rhythmical prose employing the poetic devices of alliteration and assonance epos a body of poetry that conveys the traditions of a society by treating some epic theme closet drama drama more suitable for reading that for performing comedy light and humorous drama with a happy ending tragedy drama in which the protagonist is overcome by some superior force or circumstance; excites terror or pity epic poetry, heroic poetry a literary work celebrating the deeds of some hero versification the form or metrical composition of a poem Kabuki, kabuki a traditional form of Japanese drama characterized by highly stylized movement and song and using only male performers type of: expressive style, style a way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a particular person or group of people or period

Pronunciation US /ˈʒɑnrə/ UK /ˈʒɑnrə/ Cite this entry Style: MLA

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