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genre

/ˈʒɑnrə/

/ˈʒɑnrə/

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
  1. noun
    a kind of literary or artistic work
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    type of:
    form, kind, sort, variety
    a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
  2. noun
    a class of art (or artistic endeavor) having a characteristic form or technique
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    types:
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    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
  3. noun
    an expressive style of music
    synonyms: music genre, musical genre, musical style
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    types:
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    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
  4. noun
    a style of expressing yourself in writing
    synonyms: literary genre, writing style
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    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
    poetry 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/

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