multigenerational

IPA/ˌmʌl.ti.dʒen.əˈreɪ.ʃən.əl/
IPA/ˌmʌl.ti.dʒen.əˈreɪ.ʃən.əl/

multigenerational — adjective

  • multigenerationalpositive
  • more multigenerationalcomparative
  • most multigenerationalsuperlative

1. involving people from two or more different age groups or generations, especiall

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

involving people from two or more different age groups or generations, especially within a family, workplace, or community

Example

The Yamada family lives in a multigenerational home with Aiko's grandparents on the ground floor.

collocation: multigenerational home / household

In Priya's workplace, a multigenerational team of designers and engineers works on every project.

collocation: multigenerational team / workforce

Common collocations
  • multigenerational home
  • multigenerational household
  • multigenerational family
  • multigenerational workforce
  • multigenerational team
  • multigenerational community
  • multigenerational impact
  • multigenerational poverty
  • multigenerational living
Synonyms
  • intergenerational

    Focuses on relationships or exchanges between generations rather than simply including them

  • cross-generational

    Less formal; emphasises movement or communication across age groups

  • multi-age

    Broader term, used especially in education (multi-age classrooms); not limited to family lines

Antonyms
  • single-generation

    Describes something limited to one age cohort

  • generational

    Refers to one generation in isolation, without the multi-cohort dimension

Grammar Patterns

multigenerational + noun

Usage Note

Used before nouns such as 'family', 'home', 'workforce', 'team', or 'impact'. Not gradable — a situation either involves multiple generations or it does not, so comparative forms (more multigenerational) are avoided.

Common Mistakes

Their family is very multigenerational.
Their family is multigenerational.
This adjective describes a binary quality; it is not used with intensifiers like 'very' or 'more.'
They live in a multigenerational house with three generation.
They live in a multigenerational home with three generations.
The noun 'generation' must be plural when counting more than one.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three terms describe links between age groups, but they differ in focus. "Intergenerational" emphasises exchange or transmission between generations — such as intergenerational learning programmes or conflict — and is common in academic and policy writing. "Cross-generational" is less formal and highlights movement across age groups, as in cross-generational friendships at work. "Multi-age" is the broadest term, used mainly in education (multi-age classrooms where students of different ages learn together) and does not carry the family-line or demographic flavour of the other two. For most everyday contexts — a household, a company team, or a community event — "multigenerational" is the most natural choice.

intergenerational ↗cross-generationalmulti-age ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • multigenerational living arrangement
  • multigenerational wealth transfer

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Formed by combining the prefix 'multi-' (from Latin 'multus', meaning 'many') with the noun 'generation' (from Latin 'generatio', meaning 'begetting' or 'producing'), plus the adjective suffix '-al'. The word began appearing in American English in the mid-20th century, first in sociology and demography to describe family structures that span more than two age cohorts, and later expanded into business, housing, and public policy discourse.