beatnik

American  

[beet-nik] / ˈbit nɪk /

noun

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a member of the Beat Generation.

2. a person who rejects or avoids conventional behavior, dress, etc.

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beatnik British  

/ ˈbiːtnɪk /

noun

1. a member of the Beat Generation (sense 1)

2. informal any person with long hair and shabby clothes

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Etymology

Origin of beatnik

1955–60, beat (adj.) (as in Beat Generation ) + -nik

Compare meaning

How does beatnik compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• beatnik vs. hippie

Example Sentences

He’s put off by Ginsberg’s aggressiveness, though the aging beatnik softens somewhat when he realizes Hujar isn’t an emissary of the enemy so much as a photographer picking up work where he can get it.

From The Wall Street Journal

How could this crazy beatnik character be Disney?

From Los Angeles Times

He stars as the busboy at a beatnik bar who uses his incredibly lifelike sculptures to impress the hip clientele.

From New York Times

As she deftly demonstrated the choreography’s awkwardness while playing it straight, my mind went for a moment to Audrey Hepburn’s beatnik dance in “Funny Face.”

From New York Times

In America, the term “counterculture” is so associated with hippies, beatniks, bohemians and the like, it might seem odd to think of self-described conservatives as counterculture types.

From Los Angeles Times