subgenre
noun
sub·genre
ˈsəb-ˌzhän-rə 
-ˌzhäⁿ-;
-ˌzhäⁿr;
-ˌjän-rə
variants
or less commonly sub-genre
plural subgenres also sub-genres
: a genre that is part of a larger genre
The series is part of the booming "urban fantasy" subgenre, which features supernatural creatures interacting with ordinary humans in a contemporary city.—
Jennifer Schuessler
Jennifer SchuesslerExamples of subgenre in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But few films in the subgenre can compete with the original 2007 REC in terms of edge-of-your-seat excitement.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
Since its launch in 2012, the roguelike space and ‘spaceship management’ subgenres have seen more complex games arrive, yet none have captured FTL’s accessible, brutal, and supremely entertaining approach to tactical ship combat, space exploration, and ship operation.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Is this the beginning of the Julia Roberts Plays Herself subgenre?
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
This second subgenre isn’t new—think Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower or the many books that imagine a world reduced to rubble by nuclear bombs published in the Cold War era.
—Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subgenre
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
Since its launch in 2012, the roguelike space and ‘spaceship management’ subgenres have seen more complex games arrive, yet none have captured FTL’s accessible, brutal, and supremely entertaining approach to tactical ship combat, space exploration, and ship operation.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Is this the beginning of the Julia Roberts Plays Herself subgenre?
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
This second subgenre isn’t new—think Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower or the many books that imagine a world reduced to rubble by nuclear bombs published in the Cold War era.
—Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subgenre
Cite this Entry
“Subgenre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subgenre. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share