hippie

American  

[hip-ee] / ˈhɪp i /

Or hippy

noun

1. a person, especially of the late 1960s, who rejected established institutions and values and sought spontaneity, direct personal relations expressing love, and expanded consciousness, often expressed externally in the wearing of casual, folksy clothing and of beads, headbands, used garments, etc.

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hippie British  

/ ˈhɪpɪ /

noun

1. a variant spelling of hippy 1

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Etymology

Origin of hippie

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55; hip ⁴ + -ie

Compare meaning

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

• beatnik vs. hippie

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hippie

The listener leaves with a lively mental picture of the author in his tie-dyed hippie glory, a “disheveled U-boat captain from another galaxy.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Christine Devin, who arrived in 1974 after travelling overland on the hippie trail from Paris, remembers digging wells, irrigating the land and everyone pitching in to build houses and communal buildings like the solar kitchen.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

“She had a bigger canyon group of hippie friends that were all kind of into that too,” Tracye remembers.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026

“The high desert has a fascinating blend of hippie and libertarian sensibilities,” he wrote in an email.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2026

She was the only adult in hippie clothes—peasant blouse, long cotton skirt, Day-Glo headband with a yin/yang disk in the center of her forehead.

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman

Related Words

• bohemian
• flower child
• free spirit