The DICT Development Group

  Genre \Gen"re\ (zh[aum]N"r'), n. [F. See Gender.]
     1. Kind; genus; class; form; style, esp. in literature.
  
              French drama was lisping or still inarticulate; the
              great French genre of the fabliau was hardly born.
                                                    --Saintsbury.
  
              A particular demand . . . that we shall pay special
              attention to the matter of genres -- that is, to the
              different forms or categories of literature. --W. P.
                                                    Trent.
        [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
  
     2. (Fine Arts) A style of painting, sculpture, or other
        imitative art, which illustrates everyday life and
        manners.
        [1913 Webster]

  genre
      n 1: a kind of literary or artistic work
      2: a style of expressing yourself in writing [syn: writing
         style, literary genre, genre]
      3: an expressive style of music [syn: music genre, musical
         genre, genre, musical style]
      4: a class of art (or artistic endeavor) having a characteristic
         form or technique

  78 Moby Thesaurus words for "genre":
     Platonic form, Platonic idea, aesthetic form, archetype, art form,
     blood, brand, breed, build, cast, category, character, clan, class,
     color, configuration, conformation, cut, denomination, description,
     designation, fashion, feather, figuration, figure, form, format,
     formation, frame, genus, grain, ilk, impression, inner form,
     kidney, kin, kind, label, layout, line, lines, lot, make, makeup,
     manner, mark, matrix, modality, mode, model, mold, movement,
     nature, number, pattern, pencil, persuasion, phylum, prototype,
     race, school, set, shape, significant form, sort, species, stamp,
     strain, stripe, structure, style, the grand style, the like of,
     the likes of, tribe, turn, type, variety