beatnik

English - English

Definition of beatnik in English English dictionary

A person associated with the Beat Generation of the 1950s and 1960s or its style

a member of the beat generation; a nonconformist in dress and behavior

{i} member of the beat generation; person of the late 1950's and early 60's who rejects the conventions of society

Beatniks were young people in the late 1950's who rejected traditional ways of living, dressing, and behaving. People sometimes use the word beatnik to refer to anyone who lives in an unconventional way. a beatnik art student. one of a group of young people in the late 1950s and early 1960s, who did not accept the values of society and showed this by their clothes and the way they lived

A young man or woman associated with the Beat Generation

Related Terms

beatniks

plural of beatnik

beatniks

a United States youth subculture of the 1950s; rejected possessions or regular work or traditional dress; for communal living and psychedelic drugs and anarchism; favored modern forms of jazz (e g , bebop)

Hyphenation

beat·nik

Turkish pronunciation

bitnîk

Synonyms

beat, bohemian, demonstrator, dropout, flower child, hippie, iconoclast, maverick, nonconformist, peacenik, protester, radical

Pronunciation

/ˈbētnək/ /ˈbiːtnɪk/

Etymology

() Coined by San Francisco columnist Herb Caen in 1958.Herb Caen, , April 2, 1958 From beat (generation) + cutesy or ironic use of the Slavic suffix -nik (Russian: -ик). This suffix experienced a surge in English coinages for nicknames and diminutives after the 1957 Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite. Compare jazznik.