Genre vs. Type — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 12, 2023
Genre refers to a category of artistic composition, while Type refers to a category based on shared characteristics.
Difference Between Genre and Type
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Genre typically refers to a category of artistic composition, such as music, literature, or film, based on shared thematic or stylistic conventions. It helps audiences and creators to understand the thematic or stylistic attributes that might be present. Type, on the other hand, is a broader term that encompasses any category defined by shared characteristics. Every field or area of knowledge can have various types based on specific attributes.
Genre serves to classify artistic works according to shared characteristics, providing a shorthand for expectations. For example, a romantic comedy movie genre suggests specific plot elements and character dynamics. Conversely, Type can refer to classification in any realm, not just artistic. For example, the type of food, type of vehicle, or type of software.
Within the realm of literature, a genre might be science fiction, which carries with it specific tropes, settings, and conventions. Readers select books based on genre to satisfy a particular entertainment or aesthetic need. Type, in this context, might refer to the physical form of the literature: hardback, paperback, or e-book.
In music, a genre could be jazz, indicating certain melodic, rhythmic, and instrumental qualities. Musicians and listeners alike use genres to communicate musical expectations and preferences. A type in this context could be the medium through which the music is delivered: vinyl, CD, or streaming.
Finally, in the context of biology, while genre is not a commonly used term, the concept of species could act similarly, grouping organisms by shared traits and ancestry. Type, on the other hand, might refer to categories within species, like different breeds of dogs.
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Comparison Chart
Application
Mostly used in arts and media.
Used universally across various fields and disciplines.
Definition
Category based on shared stylistic conventions.
Category based on shared characteristics.
Flexibility
Specific to thematic and stylistic attributes.
Broad and adaptable to any classification.
Example
Horror, romance, comedy in films.
Food type, blood type, print type.
Context
Indicates certain expectations in arts.
Indicates a category within any given context.
Compare with Definitions
Genre
A group of items from the same activity but differentiated by stylistic or thematic criteria.
The superhero genre dominates box office charts.
Type
A kind or sort with distinct features.
The tropical climate is a type of weather system.
Genre
The style, character, or method within an artistic or literary realm.
The dystopian genre has gained significant popularity in recent years.
Type
A category in any field of knowledge or application.
O-negative is a rare type of blood.
Genre
A specific category within media that dictates the overall thematic or stylistic direction.
The fantasy genre transports readers to other worlds.
Type
A category of people or things having common characteristics
Blood types
This type of heather grows better in a drier habitat
Genre
A classification of artistic compositions based on shared elements.
Some find the horror genre too intense for their tastes.
Type
A person or thing exemplifying the ideal or defining characteristics of something
She characterized his witty sayings as the type of modern wisdom
Genre
A category of artistic works sharing common themes or methods.
Mystery is a popular genre in literature.
Type
Characters or letters that are printed or shown on a screen
Bold type
Genre
{{Genres is an Advertising Company based in Berhampur, Odisha, India. headed by young and talented people.
Type
A design on either side of a medal or coin.
Genre
A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content
"his six String Quartets ... the most important works in the genre since Beethoven's" (Time).
Type
An abstract category or class of linguistic item or unit, as distinct from actual occurrences in speech or writing.
Genre
A realistic style of painting that depicts scenes from everyday life.
Type
Write (something) on a typewriter or computer by pressing the keys
He typed out the second draft
I'm learning to type
Genre
A type or class
"Emaciated famine victims ... on television focused a new genre of attention on the continent" (Helen Kitchen).
Type
Determine the type to which (a person or their blood or tissue) belongs
The kidney was typed
Genre
A kind; a stylistic category or sort, especially of literature or other artworks.
The still life has been a popular genre in painting since the 17th century.
This film is a cross-genre piece, dark and funny at the same time.
The computer game Half-Life redefined the first-person shooter genre.
Type
A number of people or things having in common traits or characteristics that distinguish them as a group or class:That type of car was popular in the 1970s. See Synonyms at kind.
Genre
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.
A particular demand . . . that we shall pay special attention to the matter of genres - that is, to the different forms or categories of literature.
Type
A person or thing having the features of a group or class:He is the type of person that is bound to get into trouble.
Genre
A style of painting, sculpture, or other imitative art, which illustrates everyday life and manners.
Type
An example or a model having the ideal features of a group or class; an embodiment:"He was the perfect type of a military dandy"(Joyce Cary).
Genre
A kind of literary or artistic work
Type
A person regarded as exemplifying a particular profession, rank, or social group:a group of executive types; a restaurant frequented by tourist types.
Genre
A style of expressing yourself in writing
Type
A figure, representation, or symbol of something to come, such as an event in the Old Testament that is believed to foreshadow another in the New Testament.
Genre
An expressive style of music
Type
(Biology)The type specimen, type species, or type genus, which serves as the basis for the name of a species, genus, or family.
Genre
A class of art (or artistic endeavor) having a characteristic form or technique
Type
A small block of metal or wood bearing a raised letter or character on the upper end that leaves a printed impression when inked and pressed on paper.
Type
Such pieces considered as a group.
Type
Printed or typewritten characters; print:Let's see how your letter looks in type.
Type
A size or style of printed or typewritten characters; a typeface:a sans-serif type.
Type
A pattern, a design, or an image impressed or stamped onto the face of a coin.
Type
To write (something) using a typewriter.
Type
To input (something) manually on an electronic device, especially by using a keyboard.
Type
To assign to a category; classify or characterize:a political candidate who was typed as indecisive.
Type
To determine the antigenic characteristics of (a blood or tissue sample).
Type
To typecast:an actor afraid of being typed as a gangster.
Type
To write with a typewriter or computer keyboard.
Type
A grouping based on shared characteristics; a class.
This type of plane can handle rough weather more easily than that type of plane.
Type
An individual considered typical of its class, one regarded as typifying a certain profession, environment, etc.
Type
An individual that represents the ideal for its class; an embodiment.
Type
A letter or character used for printing, historically a cast or engraved block.
Type
(uncountable) Such types collectively, or a set of type of one font or size.
Type
Text printed with such type, or imitating its characteristics.
The headline was set in bold type.
Type
(taxonomy) Something, often a specimen, selected as an objective anchor to connect a scientific name to a taxon; this need not be representative or typical.
Type
Preferred sort of person; sort of person that one is attracted to.
We can't get along: he's just not my type.
He was exactly her type.
Type
(medicine) A blood group.
Type
(corpus linguistics) A word that occurs in a text or corpus irrespective of how many times it occurs, as opposed to a token.
Type
(theology) An event or person that prefigures or foreshadows a later event - commonly an Old Testament event linked to Christian times.
Type
(computing theory) A tag attached to variables and values used in determining which kinds of value can be used in which situations; a data type.
Type
(fine arts) The original object, or class of objects, scene, face, or conception, which becomes the subject of a copy; especially, the design on the face of a medal or a coin.
Type
(chemistry) A simple compound, used as a mode or pattern to which other compounds are conveniently regarded as being related, and from which they may be actually or theoretically derived.
The fundamental types used to express the simplest and most essential chemical relations are hydrochloric acid, water, ammonia, and methane.
Type
(mathematics) A part of the partition of the object domain of a logical theory (which due to the existence of such partition, would be called a typed theory). (Note: this corresponds to the notion of "data type" in computing theory.)
Categorial grammar is like a combination of context-free grammar and types.
Type
A symbol, emblem, or example of something.
Type
To put text on paper using a typewriter.
Type
To enter text or commands into a computer using a keyboard.
Type
To determine the blood type of.
The doctor ordered the lab to type the patient for a blood transfusion.
Type
To represent by a type, model, or symbol beforehand; to prefigure.
Type
To furnish an expression or copy of; to represent; to typify.
Type
To categorize into types.
Type
The mark or impression of something; stamp; impressed sign; emblem.
The faith they have in tennis, and tall stockings,Short blistered breeches, and those types of travel.
Type
Form or character impressed; style; semblance.
Thy father bears the type of king of Naples.
Type
A figure or representation of something to come; a token; a sign; a symbol; - correlative to antitype.
A type is no longer a type when the thing typified comes to be actually exhibited.
Type
That which possesses or exemplifies characteristic qualities; the representative.
Since the time of Cuvier and Baer . . . the whole animal kingdom has been universally held to be divisible into a small number of main divisions or types.
Type
The original object, or class of objects, scene, face, or conception, which becomes the subject of a copy; esp., the design on the face of a medal or a coin.
Type
A raised letter, figure, accent, or other character, cast in metal or cut in wood, used in printing.
Type
A simple compound, used as a model or pattern to which other compounds are conveniently regarded as being related, and from which they may be actually or theoretically derived.
Type
To represent by a type, model, or symbol beforehand; to prefigure.
Type
To furnish an expression or copy of; to represent; to typify.
Let us type them now in our own lives.
Type
A subdivision of a particular kind of thing;
What type of sculpture do you prefer?
Type
A person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities);
A real character
A strange character
A friendly eccentric
The capable type
A mental case
Type
(biology) the taxonomic group whose characteristics are used to define the next higher taxon
Type
Printed characters;
Small type is hard to read
Type
A small metal block bearing a raised character on one end; produces a printed character when inked and pressed on paper;
He dropped a case of type, so they made him pick them up
Type
All of the tokens of the same symbol;
The word `element' contains five different types of character
Type
Write by means of a keyboard with types;
Type the acceptance letter, please
Type
Identify as belonging to a certain type;
Such people can practically be typed
Type
A classification based on shared characteristics.
The poodle is a type of dog.
Type
A model or version of something.
The convertible model is a popular type of car.
Type
Represents a specific form or group within a larger category.
The cactus is a type of plant suited for arid conditions.
Common Curiosities
What is a Type?
Type refers to a category or classification based on shared characteristics, applicable in any context.
Is a novel a Genre or Type?
A novel is a type of literary work; its genre could be romance, thriller, etc.
Is "fruit" a Genre or Type?
"Fruit" is a type of food. Within fruits, categories like "citrus" could metaphorically be called genres, though it's not common.
Can everything be classified into a Type?
Yes, essentially everything can be categorized into a specific type based on shared characteristics.
How is Genre different from Type in movies?
Genre refers to categories like comedy or horror, while type might refer to formats like short films or feature-length.
Can Genre be used outside of arts?
While primarily used for artistic compositions, "genre" can be metaphorically applied elsewhere, but it's less common.
Can one item belong to multiple Types?
Yes, depending on the context and criteria, an item can belong to multiple types.
Are genres rigid or can they evolve?
Genres can evolve, merge, or branch into sub-genres over time based on cultural changes.
What is a Genre?
A genre is a category of artistic works, like films or books, based on shared thematic or stylistic elements.
Why are Genres important in media?
Genres help set expectations and allow audiences to choose content based on their preferences.
How do I determine the Genre of a book or movie?
Usually by its themes, setting, style, and narrative conventions.
Can an artwork span multiple Genres?
Yes, many artworks blend elements from multiple genres, leading to hybrid genres like romantic-comedy or sci-fi fantasy.
Are there fixed numbers of Types for any category?
No, types can be expanded, redefined, or adjusted as knowledge or classification methods evolve.
Is "drama" a Genre or Type?
"Drama" is a genre in movies, plays, or television, indicating a focus on emotion-driven narratives.
How can I identify the Type of an item?
By examining its primary characteristics and comparing it to broader categories.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
