big hair

American  

1. hair having the appearance of fullness and height, usually teased and sprayed.

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big hair British  

noun

1. a hairstyle with volume created by hair products or styling techniques such as backcombing, etc

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Etymology

Origin of big hair

1985–90

Example Sentences

A severe bout of nostalgia is spreading in America, but it’s not for the postwar prosperity of the 1950s or the big hair and bright colors of the 80s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

Keaton stuck a clothespin on the tip of her nose to make it smaller, and acted the part of an extrovert: big laugh, big hair and, when she stopped liking her hair, big hats.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2025

The series, which has nearly three million followers on various platforms, revolves around Paloma Diamond, an actress whose signature look includes big hair, bright eye shadow and bold clothes.

From New York Times • Nov. 26, 2024

The video that launched her solo career, Crazy In Love ticks off all of the early 2000s music video clichés - fur coats, exploding cars, big hair and bullet time sequences.

From BBC • Sep. 10, 2024

I felt disloyal for wanting to learn English, for liking pizza, for studying the girls with big hair and trying out their styles at home, locked in the bathroom where no one could watch.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago